Is it Our Nature?
by DJStarvingArtist
Summary: If he told you do 'die', would you?" As well as the Dai-Gurren Brigade, the Three remaining Generals of the Spiral King have stories to tell. This is a POV fic from both the good and bad guys, after Thymilph fails to eliminate Kamina. Rated T for Safety.
1. DaiGurren Brigade!

_**A/N!:**_ I've decided to kick reason to the curb and try an AU POV fic, as I want to use all of the characters I can, I want to make new connections between characters that never met, and most of all, I wanna play Adiane, Cytomander, and Guame, damn it! I have no idea where this fic is going. A plot will develop eventually. I'm just afraid that I might end up pulling an Ouran, in which every adventure doesn't have to connect.

_**To Avoid Confusion:**_ Pre-Time skip, Kamina is alive, as are the Three Generals, and Nia is in the picture, still unaware that she was abandoned. This takes place a little while after they kill Thymilph. I guess you can say that this is a 'Kamina didn't die' fic.

**+Is it Our Nature?+**

A dauntless breeze brushed upon the rugged terrain, with every gust picking up a thicket of golden sand and tip-tapping against Byakou, or more accurately, the Dai-Ganzan. The ship ganmen was somewhat of a trophy for the Dai-Gurren Brigade, as they'd sacrificed so much to obtain it and still had no remorse for their actions. Simon's pleading tears and Yoko's lack of breath seemed to morph into somewhat of a cloud overhead, shielding the pouring rain that reminded them that this was a reality that night as they stared at their dying bro. Nothing more valuable could've been lost than their precious leader, the man who kicked all reason to the curb and let his headstrong manly beliefs guide his every whim. At times like those, the men could only question if something so terrible could be a reality. Why today? Why now? It just cannot be. The desperation in their spirits forced themselves to deny any fatal injuries on their beloved captain, and as they refused to give up, once more Simon had saved his brother from an imminent death. Kamina would not give on up life. He would not give up on the surface. He would not give up on Simon.

Now, as time had passed and all shaken guts from the triumphant crew settled, they relaxed within their quarters as Kinon ad Leeron navigated the massive reward towards the Spiral Capital. Rossiu joined Gimmy and Dari on the lower levels in light-hearted games, Simon and Nia exchanging ideas and human customs in the rear, and a heavy commotion within with the rest of the men from the crew.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you call any of the shots around here! I'm the leader, so you listen to what I say!"

"You think you're so smart! If it wasn't for me, you still would've been lying in the mud, bleedin' like a worthless animal carcass!"

"S'cuze me, big shot? I'm gonna make you eat those words!"

"Try it, tough guy!"

"Can you guys calm down and sort this out like men, or do I have to be a referee every damn day?"

From within the main control room, Kamina and Kittan again bumped heads. Since their big accomplishment with Thymilph, their overbearing and controlling natures made them one in the same, though it was hardly a good thing when only one of them could have a seat of power. Yoko, standing near the doorway, rested two fists on her hips, staring angrily at the two as if she were their mother. Blankly, they turned to face her, forgetting their argument as they were startled by an outside voice. The others had simply let them duke it out, so they weren't used to any voice other than a bellowing man's.

"Oh, come on, Yoko!" Kamina shouted, a whole-hearted smile beaming his confident face as usual, and he mocked her stance. "This_ is _how men fight their battles!" The look that Yoko shot back to him made it clear that she did not agree, but instead of discouraging the man, he smiled wider, and pushed Kittan aside to stand in the middle of the room. "Can't you quit your whining for ten minutes and let the big boys figure this out?"

"Why you—" Kittan spat, stumbling towards Kiyoh and Kiyal, his two sisters who inwardly giggled and kept him from falling back and embarrassing himself further. Already, they spied a shade of pink across his angry cheeks. "Don't you push me!" Stomping towards his rival, he got as close as he could, a scowl on his face and their foreheads bumping, pushing back each of their bangs and slightly covering their eyes. "I can take you any day of the week!"

"Try me, I'd love to— Uhh!" Falling back, each of the men's riveting expressions changed to slight confusion as one of Yoko's hands rested on each of their faces. In between, she displayed a look of severe irritance.

"You guys aren't men, you're boys. Simon shows more maturity than you two combined, and he's just a kid." She sighed, then let them go. "It looks like he's more of a man than you two combined."

"She's got you there, macho man." Leeron sniggered from his seat, twisting around in a snake-like motion and winking a green-shadowed eyelid. The arguing men's jaws tightened as they inched slightly away from the creepy man woman.

"Don't be jealous, toots." Kamina started again, taking a hold of the red-haired woman's chin and lifting it towards his mocking face. Immediately, Yoko's expression changed from annoyance to shock, and she quite obviously blushed. This made Kittan's eyebrow twitch angrily. "Just 'cause I'm not paying attention to you doesn't mean I don't think about'cha."

For a moment, the two stood stationary, the girl's arms unsure of where to go and Kamina waiting for her to agree and accept him as her manly-man in his favor. Sadly, she regained her grumpy composure and shoved him off of her with minimal force.

"Don't flatter yourself." She grumbled, her voice displaying slight fluster. Kittan chewed angrily on his lower lip, crossing his arms and flexing them in a most manly way. Kamina was trying to upstage him!

"There you go again, using your chick as leverage." He huffed, pressing his lips together and furrowing his massive brow angrily. "You just can't look cool on your own, so you need to make it look like she's on your side. Phooey!" pointing a menacing finger towards Kamina, he raised his booming voice again. "You're nothing but a coward, like your weakling little brother!"

Now, a nerve had been struck, and Kamina finished his silent giggling to glare heavily at Kittan. Again, the two were face-to-face, and Yoko had lost all drive to stop them.

"Simon's no weakling!" Kamina roared, beads of saliva falling onto the slightly shorter man's face, though he did not even blink. "He's a helluva lot more of a man than you! He and I are partners, and you're just an underling!"

"I'm no underling to a freakin' pre-teen!" This had evolved into a duel of who could yell the loudest. "I could pilot Lagann double as well as he could!"

"I'd like to see you try, blondie!"

"Fine, than you will!"

"Then go!"

"I will!"

"You're still standin' here!"

"Wait 'til combat, smart one!"

"What about King Kittan?" Kiyoh blinked towards her brother, catching his attention. Knowing those two, this was no ordinary 'I'd bet' match. They would really go the lengths as to destroy Lagann just to prove a silly point.

Kittan grinned, and the two men pulled apart. "Simon can drive 'em!" He announced, a finger pointed towards the heavens in a matter-of-fact statement. "It's not something that little boy can't handle."

Kiyoh's eyes sank a bit. That sounded… mindlessly destructive. Nonetheless, she knew that there was no fighting her big brother once his mind was made up. With a sigh, she shrugged and turned back around in her swiveling chair.

Simon and Nia

"What is that stuff dancing with the air?" Like an airy tune, Nia's voice rang pleasantly through her fiend's ears, though he could not bring himself to smile. She stared out the back of the balcony of the ganmen, hands on the railing as her long cloudy hair fell back into Simon's eyes, as well as a little sand. Accordingly, he rubbed his eyes lightly and approached the railing beside her.

"It's the surface." He replied. 'Sand' was not a word in his vocabulary, and he understood that it was not like dirt, something he was very familiar with. The boy's voice was coaxing to the girl's ears, and smiling lightly, she turned to face him and listen to his wisdom. "This is what bro and I saw when we came up in Lagann. It's all we've seen so far, and I think it's beautiful." Unable to hold back another grin, he turned to look towards Nia, discovering that she had been staring back. Again, he became a bit more reserved, biting his lower lip and scratching the back of his head. A nervous chuckle escaped him.

"Simon," Nia started again. She blinked quickly, excited by her best friend's company.

"Oh. Yeah, Nia?" He choked, fascinated by her total comfort with the situation. She seemed so careless, even though she'd been thrown off of a cliff in a box only to be attacked by a giant robot that she'd never even heard of before. He didn't understand that she trusted him so much to protect her, thus making her comfortable. Bro always made him take care of himself in a pinch, to muster his won willpower and not rely on the help of others.

"Why do you keep rubbing your eye?" She pointed lightly towards his one drooping eyelid. The sand was not letting up, and it was starting to blow rather hard. Squeaking lightly before he could answer, she slapped both hands on her eyes and took a step backwards. "My eyes are stinging! What's happening?"

Simon blinked after rubbing a bit more as he marveled at the girl. She was so undeniably cute, he just didn't understand it. Was it possible that she was an alien of sorts, or maybe even a beastman? Her eyes were certainly a strange color, as was her hair. She seemed to resemble nature. Upon realizing that she was in distress, however, he took a hold of her wrist and started trotting towards the indoors.

"Here, I'll make it go away," he gasped lowly, taking her inside to see Rossiu, Gimmy, and Dari. She entered the ganmen's interior and felt no more breeze as Simon shut the door behind her and leaned a bit towards her to try and inspect her eyes. 'I'll make it go away,' was such a perfect comment. Simon had made everything go away so far. He was like her protector, her 'bro' as he'd called Kamina. Maybe he was acting that way towards her to repay his 'bro' in an indirect way. Despite her naïveté, Nia was not stupid. She could but a psychological two and two together.

"It hurts, Simon!" she whined a bit more, rubbing vigorously with two closed fists. She felt each of Simon's hands holding her wrists and trying to pry them away, but he was too afraid to pull, as he saw her as delicate. She would not let up.

"You need to stop rubbing. We'll wash out your eyes." He promised, worry in his as he'd already gotten the sand from his eyes. Rossiu blinked, a bit confused at the situation.

"Did she get dirt in her eyes?" He questioned innocently, a bit afraid of intrusion. Glancing at the boy he hadn't noticed before, Simon's mouth made the shape of a little 'o'.

"Yeah." He responded shakily, then trailed his gaze to see Gimmy and Dari staring up at him with opposite expressions. Gimmy smiled almost as widely as Kamina, but Dari's face remained entirely nonchalant.

"Did you hurt her?" Gimmy asked, despite the fact that he'd already said what happened to her. "Why'd you hurt her, Simon?"

"It's not nice to put dirt in people's eyes." Dari added.

"Simon, you put it in my eyes?" Nia questioned. Eyes widening, Simon began to panic a bit.

"No, I didn't do it to you. I said I'd help you!" His voice changed noticeably to the temporarily blind Nia. She took a moment to slow her rubbing, then tried to open her eyes, but only accomplishing halfway as she took her fists halfway away. Oh,that's right, he made bad things go away. Smiling lightly, she nodded.

"I think I got most of it, Simon."

"But it's really be best if you.."

"I'll be fine!" The girl's voice became a bit more chipper as she flashed him a cheery smile and a giggle to accompany it. Staring at the white-haired girl, the boy was a bit taken back. There she went again, being inhumanly cute…

"Kamina and Kittan have been fighting." Rossiu started, catching the others' attention.

"Kamina's the man!" Gimmy roared, punching the air as he pretended to be his idol. "Kittan's got nothing on him!"

Simon nodded, smiling a little bit. "Yeah. He is." He said nervously, then sighed a bit. "I just know that if I go up there, he's gonna pull me into it."

"I think he already has." Rossiu giggled nervously. Uh-oh, it was time to worry.

"How do you know?" Simon questioned. He was dreading the answer.

"They were so loud, I heard them making a bet that Kittan couldn't pilot Lagann. I think he's going to steal your ganmen for a fight."

Sighing of relief, Simon smiled a bit once more. "That's not so bad," he laughed. "So long as he doesn't get himself killed trying."

"There haven't been any super strong ganmen out there," Rossiu shrugged. "I wouldn't worry."

"Thanks, Rossiu," Simon nodded to his friend. Starting up the metal staircase, he offered a quick smile and looked back towards Nia with a brighter one. "Are you coming, Nia? I was going to check on my bro."

Nia smiled back, still rubbing one of her eyes, and blinking the other profusely. Simon had such an obvious bond with Kamina that it was something more she admired in him. He was the underdog that the strong man believed in, and he had just as much spirit. Kittan didn't see it, but she and Kamina were the only two to believe in him. She believed in him more than she'd even even believed in herself. He'd become somewhat of an idol.

"Of course!"

Upon reaching the control room, Simon meekly opened the door. He could hear Kittan and Kamina, along with the occasional Yoko and dreaded the drama that would break out as he entered the room. Staring worriedly, he turned back to see Nia following close behind, her eyes still struggling a bit, but her posture as good as ever, as well as that enchanting smile.

"Go ahead, Simon. Open the door!"

Her words were always so inviting, always so positive. She believed in him, he could sense it, and he couldn't help but offer back a whole-hearted grin as he turned the knob.

"SIMON!" Kamina roared, knocking the grin off of the puny boy's face as an arm wrapped around his neck and began cutting off his breathing supply. "I've got another challenge for you, little bro! Tell me you're ready for this one!"

"Aniki, I—" Simon started, clenching his hands over Kamina's muscular arm and attempting to make him loosen up a bit so that he could breathe, but to no avail.

"Don't even bother answering, Simon!" the man laughed. "I know you are! A man's always ready for whatever obstacles are laid in front of him!"

"Kamina, please," the boy's voice grew weaker as he choked out the minimal speech. Both Nia and Yoko held faces of slight uncertainty. Was he breathing? More and more, he began paling up a bit.

"You'll be piloting King Kittan to show that big-mouth how a real Dai-Gurren does it!"

"Kamina, I think you're hurting him." Dayakka finally spoke for the worried women, his face a bit entertained, but also a bit off-balance.

"NONSENSE!" The man roared, tightening his hold on Simon's neck and lifting him from the ground. The boy attempted to gasp, but could not make a sound. His face displayed pure struggle, and his hands were desperate to loosen Kamina's hold. Kamina was still unaware, as he stared at Dayakka as if to prove him wrong. Finally, Kittan to the rescue took Simon from the man's hands by the back of his jacket. The boy gasped greatly for air, placing hands by his throat as he panted in relief.

"If you kill 'em, we won't be able to prove who's the better pilot!" Kittan exclaimed, then poked the boy's back sharply, causing Simon to stumble foreword a little. "But there's really no contest. He's as tough as a marshmallow!"

"Simon is a hero!" Nia argued. Kamina, who had already stricken a pose, turned his attention to the little girl in surprise. Her face looked a bit insecure, but also very sure of what she was saying. "He can drive anything he wants to because he has fighting spirit!"

"WHAT THE GIRL SAYS!" Kamina bellowed, placing a hand on the girl's fluffy head. "He's a real man! More than we can say about you!"

Simon blinked in the direction of his two closest friends. Nia and Kamina, side by side, fighting for his honor. As touched as he was, he could not smile; he wasn't so sure about that.

"I don't know, you guys," he shrugged, looking to his feet and playing with his fingers. "I've never piloted anything but Lagann before, and I think I can only do that because I'm so used to drills."

"SIMON," Kamina growled, catching the boy's eyes. "Do I need to knock some sense into you again?! You're driving that good-for-nothing yellow junk-heap next time, and you're gonna show this loser how it's done, no questions! Where'd that fighting spirit?!"

With a slight pout, the boy lowered his chin and sighed. He had no choice in the matter. Looking towards first Kamina, then Nia who was still blinking and squinting, he nodded.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"THAT'S my bro!" Kamina laughed, slapping the boy on the back and nearly making him topple over again with a loud slap noise. Yoko shook her head; he was just a boy, but had proven himself more than once. She would not object. Besides, it's just one battle. It's not like they'd be fighting the Helix King next, as they were far from the capital. If they were in a pinch, she would be sure to have her rifle handy. Nia seemed to have a lot of faith in him. She looked so confident, and cute as always. Something was strange, though.

"Nia, are your eyes okay?" the woman questioned, lifting her chin a bit to further inspect. Looking up to Yoko, Nia was surprised to be asked such a question. After a moment, she gave a polite smile.

"Yes, Miss Yoko." She smiled widely. "Simon just got the surface in my eye!"

"Eh?" Simon blinked towards Nia. He got the surface in her eye? Didn't he make it clear that he _didn't_ do that??

"SIMON," Kittan and Kamina again. Could matters get any more… ridiculous? Two two took either side of the boy, placing hands on his shoulders and pinching, causing the boy to wince.

"You got dirt in her eye?!"

"Why would you do that?!"

"You're supposed to protect the weak, not injure them!"

"What kind of man hurts a poor, defenseless girl??"

"I didn't do it to her, it was the wind!! How could I get to the surface, anyway??"

"Simon'll fix it!" Nia continued, her smile as sweet and vacant as ever. The three boys stopped their mindless quibbling and turned to her once more.

"Ehh?"

"Simon already helped me get most of it out. He didn't try to hurt me." The girl offered a giggle, a fist by her chin as she enjoyed the liveliness in the room. She was so adorable, the entire Dai-Gurren Brigade was smitten. "He's my 'bro', too!"

_**A/N!: **_Well, that's just setting up. It's gonna be fun making Kittan and Simon switch places, hurr hurr. Each chapter will alternate between good guys and bad guys. The next chapter will be Cytomander, Guame, Viral, and Adiane! 3


	2. The Spiral Capitol

_**A/N! **_I made a few typos on my last chapter. I'm gonna be sure to proofread form now on. XD; Also, I'm a bit skeptical of writing for Guame, Adiane, and Cytomander. Tell me how I do!

**+Spiral Capitol+**

The floor was cold to the touch, but none had the audacity to lift themselves from a bow. The icy sensation felt like night, the room dark as the floor illuminated with a moon-like glow. To look up only slightly, one would notice a black line, cutting into the light and forming that of a spiral. At first, the intervals between parallel lines were large, but near the middle, they grew closer and closer, constricting upwards and forming a convex throne, that of which seated their father, a beastmen creator named Lordgenome, who was surrounded by alien-like females whose ghastly eyes consisted of one whole dark color and plastic smiles to please their lord. Three noses pointed towards the floor, one twitching very lightly in fluster, one long and pointed, and the last like a crocodile's snout. The three supreme generals bowed to their king, there to report foul news that left a terrible taste in one of their mouths.

"Thymilph the Crusher has fallen?" a booming voice questioned, and although it was tranquil, it was loud and unmistakable.

"Yes, milord." Adiane's angered voice responded, but the utmost fear and respect were obvious in her tone, struggling to keep from dripping of hostility.

"To those filthy humans?" Again, the voice seemed very annoyed. This made the two human-resembling generals cringe, for when that was the case, things would rarely go smoothely. Consequences were drastic ion their kingdom.

"It's a shame, really," Cytomander huffed, his voice melodic as his ego seeped through his words. "I thought he had some potential… but it seems that he was just a good-for-nothing."

A snake-eye winced, and glancing up towards the peacock man, Adiane shot a quick glare in Cytomander's direction. "Hmph." She grumbled lightly, wishing to snap at her colleague but finding herself unable to due to the gathered company. At once, she lifted her weight from the cold floor and stood, her arms crossing and the butterfly wings on her kimono disappearing by her chest. She frowned deeply, but lowered her chin to Lordgenome.

"Your highness," she started, and Cytomander and Guame followed her to their feet. In slight interest, they watched her struggle to speak with respect. A grin creeped upon the armadillo's face. "Please allow me to avenge Thymilph. He was my friend. I will not make the same mistakes he had." A low nod followed in a pleading manner, and Cytomander joined Guame in a smirk.

"Friend, huh?" Guame chuckled, a claw by his snout as he mocked the woman at his right. "For you, Adiane, it looks like a big monkey man is all that could fill you."

Again, Adiane shot a glare, but this time at the smallest of the generals. A light whipping noise came from the air as she swung the massive scorpion stinger through the air in irritance.

"Shut your mouth, cretin." She hissed towards his perverse comment. Genuinely, she was in a terribly foul mood, one that she could barely remember feeling before. Thymilph was a real partner of hers, and these dirty apes had no place in taking him down. If they messed with him, they messed with her, and the last thing she needed was to be mocked by her freak of a fellow general.

"Adiane," Lordgenome began, disrupting her train of thought and causing her to forget her quibbling with the men. "You want to avenge your friend?"

The woman knelt, one hand again against the freezing ground, and the other folded across her knee. Her tail ceased its swishing and rested close above the ground, as she did not want it to flinch from the cold in a serious moment like this. "Yes, sir. I can eliminate the humans with no problem, and I believe that I'm the best for this job because—"

"Quit your drabble." Cut off, Adiane lifted her gaze, eyebrows twitching a bit in wonder of what her lord was thinking. "You sound like a whining child."

"I humbly apologize, milord." She choked. If there's something Adiane hated more than Cytomander and Guame, it was being controlled and criticized, but there was nothing she could do to help that, as a sharp tongue would inevitably lead to death. There, the master's elbow slammed against the armrest, his hand resting upon his chin whiskers that neatly split into two sections, and pushing them a bit together. He studied to woman expectantly. He understood exactly what she was thinking, her true motives, and her thoughts. She was one of his most powerful children, anyway.

"Very well," he stated, the anger in his tone subsiding, as minimal as it was, and lifting his opposite hand in a dismissing motion. "I will let you take out the humans, just don't further embarrass me and the other Generals."

Rising to her feet, Adiane did not dare smile. Instead, she nodded heavily. "I will not let you down." The woman promised, and at once, she was gone. Cytomander first eyed his lord, than Adiane as she left. Narrowing his eyes, he felt a bit like an underling. Whining had gotten her an exciting role, as he was obedient and quiet.

"Cytomander," Lorgenome continued, catching his attention once more. Startled, he knelt once more.

"Yes, sir," he stated, voice steady and sure, though he was displeased.

"If Adiane falls, you will be the one to take her place. I'm hoping that you're not sore over my judgement."

That was certainly something that Cytomander was not expecting. First, he blinked, then processed that the words were not meant to be coaxing, but instead ordering. Finally, he nodded.

"Yes, sir. I'm sure that your choices are only the best."

Spiraling eyes narrowed upon the feathered man. He was very yellow, it seemed, conforming to everything he was told and pretending to have no fear, though he was the biggest brown-nose of the others. A bit irritated, the man waved him away, and Cytomander followed Adiane, leaving the room. As the last one left, Guame turned his slits for eyes towards his lord, the one he'd considered more like a partner than a master. With nothing left to say, he simply nodded and departed. Adiane was sure to fail if she let her emotions control her. Thymilph was not a lightweight, which meant that the humans were somewhat of a decent threat. He had no worries that he would end up on the battlefield, following the younger generals' deaths.

Soon outside of the eerie room and back to the spacious halls of the kingdom, Viral had waited patiently. Is wounds from that battle were rather severe, but nothing that would keep him bed-ridden. Glancing upwards, he caught notice of first Adiane, then Cytomander and Guame. With a distance, the man felt a knot swell into his throat. Kamina… That man had a death wish. Sure, he and the others had taken on Thymilph, but he'd come so close to death so easily. All the generals had to do was get into his impulsive mind and set him up to dive into his own demise. His fighting tactics were basically suicide, anyway. A sheepish feline eye scanned the three. Which of them was going out tomorrow to face Gurren Lagann? Which of them would allow him to attempt yet another try at revenge? From afar, Guame had taken notice of the distant shark kitty. The two locked gazes, Guame's eyes still and steady as he lit he end of his long drag pipe and took a large puff, and Viral trying his best not to bite a hole into his lips from those shark teeth. After a good moment, the armadillo crocodile's slit eyes narrowed in an almost silly manner, and he grinned profusely at Viral. Naturally, he was aware of what Viral was thinking, and Viral did not like that. Finally, he approached the three.

"Viral," Cytomander began, his arms crossed against his partially exposed chest. He faced Viral to the side, only able to see hi through one ego-ridden eye, as the other was blocked by his beak. "You survived?" Adiane had started away, the click-clack of her heels echoing through the hallway, until she heard Cytomander address Viral by his name. Accordingly, she stopped, and slowly turned around, brushing a lock of navy blue hair from her exposed eye and onto the eyepatch. She promptly returned to stare down at him menacingly. She enticed hearing his story as to why he failed to protect Thymilph.

"Yes," Viral stated, trying his best to keep his voice respectful among his superiors. As much as he wanted to be as strong as the three, he was already dead set on being the man to destroy the demon leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and did not care what they had to say. If they declined, he would simply show up anyway. "My injuries were not too bad, really. I'd gotten lucky."

"Hm." Cytomander sighed in response. He was not interested, to tell the truth, and turned to look Adiane in the eye. Guame, alongside his male colleague, continued to grin. This was all too interesting, the fact that meek little Viral had a personal grudge as well. He was aware that he would end up following Adiane, and that she would not be happy about it. "Yes, you did, but you failed to keep your superior alive." The man was purposely trying to prod Adiane's soft spots, as he continued top look at her blankly. After a brief moment of examining her angry glare, he started in the direction she'd just come back from. "Learn to do your job, Viral, or next time you will not be so lucky."

"Hm." Guame chuckled. Cytomander was right, after all. "It looks like Cytomander's upset that you were chosen over him, Adiane." His voice was hinting towards Viral who Lordgenome'd chosen. Accordingly, Viral looked hopefully towards Adiane, but weith little anticipation. In all honesty, she was the most intimidating of the remaining generals. She was certainly one to take charge once the Spiral King was out of the picture, as well as a sadist.

"It doesn't matter." Adiane hissed once more. She knew that Guame was never friendly to be friendly, and watching him puff another cloud of smoke towards Viral, she understood where he was getting at. The little monster was being sly in her favor, but only for his own entertainment. "He'll get over it, as will you, Guame."

"I think you're the one that needs to get over something." Guame teased, and chuckling for a moment, he started off in the opposite direction. "Don't have too much fun with those humans, it's only nice to leave some for your friends."

"Hmph." Adiane pressed her ruby red lips together, and although she was indeed very elegant looking, her expression made her look more on the crude side. "Friends, huh?" she grumbled as he soon disappeared. Now that she and Viral were the only ones left, she narrowed her stare down towards him, the burgundy tail of hers aching to strike him in the wounds he'd just bandaged and cause him terrible pain that Thymilph must've endured. She new what he wanted, but she would play dumb for the sake of it.

"Adiane-sama," Viral began, standing tall, but keeping his chin low humbly. "I'd like to ask permission to accompany you on your mission."

"Mission?" The woman sneered, again contradicting her own beauty. Lifting her nose in the air, she struck Viral with all of her might, the stinger of her tail just missing his skin, but still drawing a small spatter of blood to stain his gauze further. The look of shock on his face was priceless. "This is not a mission. This is a game." Again, she attempted to rip his flesh, but missed as he flinched only slightly, still standing stationary and speechless as he was beaten around. "A game that makes you nothing but aliability. You're not even a _pawn_." Finally, her stinger made contact with his bare cheek, flinging the man a bit off balance as he stumbled to regain his composure once more. Finally, he looked up towards her as she was silent once more. It looked like she blamed him for Thymilph's demise… This would be painful to intrude on, but it must be done. Finally, she gave him one last pout and started away from him, heading for Sayrune, her trusted water-savvy ganmen.

"Keep your paws out of the fire, Viral, or I'll burn you myself."

With that said, Adiane was out of sight, and all that Viral heard were her hasty heels clacking against the marble flooring. The new gash across his face was beginning to sting a bit, and the pain from his already-inflicted wounds was beginning to return. Still, he did not fret. It would not be nearly enough for him to miss his rematch with Gurren Lagann. That naked ape Kamina and the rest of his wretched team was his first priority in restoring his honor. Besides, he'd be regarded as a hero to destroy those troublemakers who'd even caught the attention of his king. Letting out a sight deep breath, he sneered a bit and walked steadily towards Enkidu. Adiane was leaving soon, and he would be there to strike once his broken helmet was in sight.

Finally, Adiane had reached Sayrune's docking station and entered her ganmen. A crew was already handy within the depths of her large robot, though right now she would be alone in her control room. The seat was snug against her bare legs, a nice cushion that did not stick to her skin. Grasped in each of her hands were the hand controls, the winged sleeves falling back a bit to reveal the head of her tattoo monster on her right hand as it spiraled around her arm. Clenching her jaw for a moment and swallowing the last thoughts of Thymilph she'd gathered, the woman started her machine and departed the Spiral Capitol, vibrations and the sounds on engines pumping adrenaline through her beastmen veins. She understood that the brigade would be heading towards water soon enough, but was that enough time for her to wait? No, she would attack off-shore; they were just humans, anyway.

"Gurren Lagann," she began in a low, blood-curdling voice that only deepened her personal battle with her own grief for her deceased friend. In Enkidu, Viral had done just the same, catching sight of his superior's ganmen and following at a safe distance. "I'll have my revenge!"

_**A/N!**_ Wow, that chapter felt like a hella waste'a space. I love Guame, though. As you can see, I changed a lot of things, but kept a lot of them the same. I changed a bunch 'cause I wanted to make it my own, but kept some the same because hanging it would mean getting out of character. I'll be changing everything with Adiane/Cyto/Guame's battles with GL, though. I'm gonna put in lot'sa different plots. First up, my hostage arc! –yay-


	3. Waterproof

_**A/N!: **_Well, I'm just too excited to wait for an update. Fufufu, I'm anticipating what'll happen myself. This chapter is the beginning of introducing Adiane to the Gurren Lagann crew, and only from the good guys' POV. Next chapter is the same thing, just about, but from the bad guys' POV. Of course, I'm trying not to be redundant, so the next chapter will be a lot more than just Adiane's reactions to all'a this. In other words, I'll pick up the story from her side, and continue it. Besides, the good guys are difficult, there's so many of 'em! Whatever, you'll see what I mean. &I love the real critique you've been giving me, The Triumvirate of Rei, instead of those 'UPDATE SOON LAWL' reviews I get on my Ouran stories… heehee. I guess this is a little higher-notch than those, anyway. Well, enough babble. On with the story!

**+Waterproof+**

No longer did Nia's eyes sting, as in the bathroom, Simon had assisted her by instructing her on how to gently wash her eyes. As a digger, he was used to the unpleasant sensation of having dozens of foreign objects in his facial entries. He could tell the taste of dirt apart from anything by this point, and he sympathized greatly for the little princess who had found this idea alien. Flicking her wrists, droplets of water fell to the porcelain, and she turned the water knobs to cease the flow. Now, hands damp, she began rubbing them on her new pink fleece Gurren-dan jacket. Simon, a bit relieved, stood like a stone statue by the door, arms limp by his sides and his eyes like a radar, examining the girl as his mind raced per usual. At times, he really did resemble a little pig-mole like Boota, and as juvenile as he often was in terms of 'manliness', he did have a very vivid, mature mind. Right now, he was glad that Nia was feeling better, but much more concerned about having to pilot that yellow menace, King Kittan. Without Kamina as Gurren, his body, he felt a bit stray; it just wasn't right, wasn't complete. Would he fare well? Well… Maybe. Maybe if the next battle was as trivial as the common ones often were.

Nia lifted her flowery eyes to catch Simon's gaze, and interrupting his train of thought, he blinked widely for a moment. After comprehending that she was simply offering a friendly look, he smiled back and gave a gentle nod. It was so silent, but not at all awkward. The gushing sound of the faucet had stopped, and for less than a minute, he and she simply stood facing each other and letting their minds take them where they would. The silence finished in not too long, however, and again the sound of rapids coursed through the kids' ears, and although it was definitely not the faucet, they looked with a sense of shock to be sure. The metal nozzle was definitely not running. What was it now? Where was that sound coming from?

"Oh—" Simon gasped after a moment. "Nia," His face displayed slight confusion and a hint of skiddishness, but he was altogether calm. "Do you hear that?"

Nodding in response, the girl returned perplexed notions through her eyes. At first she was silent, placing her hands in small fists by her sides and looking around a bit more as if to find the mysterious clamor's source. "Yes, I do. What is it?"

"It sounds like water." Simon responded, now a bit concerned. His jaw clenched for a moment as his eyes continued to trail from place to place, the children looking for the mystifying noise's source, and to no avail. At once, however, the little girl gasped, shoulders heightening and her mouth falling to a frightened 'o'. She now knew where the water sounds had come from.

Control Room

A light sigh escaped Yoko as she took a seat nearby Leeron, the rifle snug on her back and drooping until a great deal of its weight was relieved upon the floor. She placed an elbow on the control panel before her, careful not to flip a switch or the like, and placed her cheek in her hand. The noise in the room was so tiring, even without a single battle in the last couple of days, she felt as though she wanted to collapse in bed, throw a pillow over her head, and just relax. Sure, she adored Kamina. She respected him and Kittan greatly for their bravery, and she owed them her life, but when they quibbled like this, she just wanted them to shut up and never speak again.

"When are we getting to the beastmen hideout?" Kittan inquired in a demanding voice. He was not intending an argument, but with that much testosterone in the room, one was bound to explode.

"I dunno. How far are we, Ron?" Kamina added, sitting with his feet up and hands resting on the back of his head. He was growing bored with the lack of action lately. After his close call with Thymilph, he was really craving a chance to prove his prominence.

"We've still got a ways to go, boys." Leeron sighed in a sing-song tone. His plump lips curved ever so slightly upwards at the ends, much like the Cheshire Cat. Somehow, Kamina and Kittan's similar natures were refreshing to him, as he was used to passive, good men like Dayakka and Yoko's girly nature. Their whining was entertaining in a silly kind of way. With his legs crossed and foot dancing a bit in the air, he twirled his chair back to spy the two. "There's a bit of desert left before we get to the ocean, and then we have plenty of land to cover. I'll need some time to adapt the Dai-Ganzan for floatation, too."

"Ahhhh." Kittan grumbled. "We've still got a while. I want to kick some beastmen ass now!" Slamming his arms onto the table before him, his brow furrowed and he sneered lightly. He, too, was getting antsy from not having had a good fight in a while. Instead of roaring with him, Kamina simply sighed heavily and nodded. Like Yoko, the sitting around was growing tiresome.

"We'll have plenty of battles 'til we get there," Kiyal smiled, assuring her brother, as she, too, found his anticipation enlightening. "Just a warm up, you know, 'til we get to slice the big cheese!"

Leeron let out a snigger. That was certainly an interesting analogy. "Right you are, Kiyal." He agreed, stretching his arms towards the ceiling, and smiling widely. "For now, I'd like to appreciate the fact that we're safe, hm?"

"Like we ever weren't." Kamina huffed, frowning towards Leeron. He was too sure of himself to have ever considered himself or the others in danger. Death seemed like an impossibility at this rate. "I'm getting' real bored just sittin' around. What good does that do?"

"Oh, hush," Yoko finally spoke up, deciding to join the antagonizing whining instead of sulking about it. "You don't need to be fighting all the time. I, personally, like being able to relax instead of risk my life. We all need a break sometime."

With a frown, Kamina rose from his seat and mirrored Kittan's desk-slam. He disapproved of Yoko's seeming laziness, as he'd taken what she said out of context. "The Dai-Gurren Brigade doesn't take 'breaks'! We're on the job all the time, no question 'bout it! We exist to liberate the other humans who are condemned to live underground and miss the awesome life on the surface because of these assholes' overactive egos!" Though he was a bit fired up, he did not yell, but instead used a very serious tone of voice. With a slightly taken back look, Yoko took a moment to examine him. He was so passionate about their cause, it was hard not to completely agree and adopt his way of thinking. Something about his stupidity was attractive. Still, she couldn't figure out if his survival through all this was luck or, as he'd claimed, the will to go on.

Yoko opened her mouth to speak. Golden honey eyes began lighting up as she, again, found herself falling into one of his dramatic moods, and slowly began smiling until she realized a sudden change in expression. Instead of frowning, he was grinning madly. "..Hn?" She questioned, hearing a strange rushing noise from behind. It rumbled the room greatly, as she felt as if she were in some kind of spaceship. Kamina was staring at something, and apparently his soul was again on fire. Turning around, she spied a tidal wave before them. From the looks of it, it was surrounding their vessel.

"_Gurren Lagann, surrender to me now and I'll make your deaths quick."_

"What—What is that?!" Yoko gasped, her jaw dropping a bit to be covered by her pink and red striped scarf.

"It's an aquatic ganmen!" Leeron responded, equally as startled as his female companion. "This one isn't like the others. We're not yet equipped for this type of attack." The man sighed, biting his lips and lowering two large eyes. "This won't be good."

Yoko frowned, huffing a bit in slight fear. How would they pull through this one? How could they buy some time? "Kamina," she started, addressing her partner and hoping that he was listening. "Don't challenge it just yet. We need to know—Kamina?!"

Outside, through the captain's window, the woman felt a bit of embarrassment and anger course through her as she spied Kamina, already outside, his hand resting on his sword's hilt and the other hand pointing in a challenging manner towards the scorpion-like robot that emerged from the wave.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi! I'm the Great Kamina, leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and I ain't surrenderin' to no swimming centipede!"

"Kamina… you idiot!" Yoko hissed, though she knew that he would not hear her from out there. Kittan clenched his jaw tightly.

"That bozo's gonna get fried if he keeps doin' that!" he roared, annoyed at the other manly-man's impulsive nature. Sure, he was also reckless, but not suicidal! "Everyone, get geared up!" he commanded, pointing a finger upwards, various voices in excited agreement. Twirling on his heel, the man started towards the door at full speed, the Dai-Gurren Brigade's ganmen forces following close behind, as well as Yoko. As he readied himself to open the door, he let out a small yelp, as did a few others, when Simon and Nia were in their path.

"It's Adiane!" the small girl did not hesitate to exclaim, her face oozing fury. She'd called this human docking point home, and she would not be having an underling destroy it. "Please, I must talk to her!"

"You, little girl?!" Kittan challenged, throwing his arms into the air. "You'll get ripped apart!" What personal business did Nia have with a beastman, anyway? Did this mean that Simon had brought home a problem?

"No, trust me!" Nia would not let up. "I can stop her!"

"We don't wanna stop her, we wanna crush her!" Either would Kittan.

"Kittan, we're not prepared for an aquatic battle. Let's give Nia a chance." Leeron chimed in. Looking back, the man held a face of indecision. Yoko was not happy with the idea whatsoever, really. As she gave Leeron an aghast expression, Kittan finally nodded.

"Alright- I'll take you. Simon!"

"Yeah!" Simon responded promptly, ready to fight. Since his first day in Lagann, he was much more comfortable with the idea. Besides, he wasn't going to let Kamina stand in front of a giant robot and yell at it like that; he was wishing for death more than anybody else had.

"Gimme your Core Drill. I need it to start Lagann." He announded. Simon, however, was surprised. He was serious? He was going to take Lagann in a serious fight like this?

"No—I mean, not right now! Next time'll be—"

"SIMON! A bet is a bet!" Kittan roared, cutting of the boy. "What's a man without his honor!? You're wastin' time!"

Wincing a bit from Kittan's harsh order, Simon hesitated. For a moment, he took a hold of his drill, looking at it and wondering if listening was the right choice. What would Kamina do in this situation—Wait, no, that answer was all too obvious. Would it be right to do what Kamina'd do, was the question.

"C'mon!! The guy's gonna become fish bait if you don't hand it over!"

Simon gasped a little. The imagery of Kamina being flat out killed because of his hesitance was cruel. No longer pausing, he pulled the string from around his neck and handed it to Kittan, who flashed a quick smile and dashed out the door, Nia following close behind. Swallowing the knot in his throat, the nervous Simon hesitated once more until a familiar hand lightly touched his shoulder.

"You'll do fine. I believe in you." Yoko stated. It seemed to work when Kamina did it, and judging by the surprised look that Simon had returned her words with, it was the right thing to do.

"Right. Thanks, Yoko!" Simon nodded with a confident smile. Running off, he headed for King Kittan. How different could it be, anyway? Yoko made her way to the top of the boat-like ganmen, rife in hand, and pointing down towards the opposer, wondering if what she'd said was accurate. Simon could pilot King Kittan, right? Obviously, it didn't take a rocket scientist…

"_The Great Kamina?"_ the ganmen responded, the voice of a disgruntled woman mixed with robotics together dripping of an overgrown ego and a lack of patience. _"Is this a joke? I'm not here to play games!"_

"No joke, beast bastard!" Kamina bellowed, a wide grin on his face. He expected Simon in Lagann to arrive momentarily, and he would go fetch Gurren to face this foe. As he'd expected, Lagann came to the deck, but an unfamiliar voice came from it.

"Go get Gurren, Kamina!" Kittan exclaimed.

"Kittan??" Kamina questioned, looking towards Lagann with surprise. He'd forgotten his bet for a moment, in a small state of shock.

"Men stick by their word, don'tcha know?" Kittan boasted, smiling within the tiny robot. He had to admit, it was a bit cramped, something ideal for the little boy Simon, but nothing too bad. Within moments, Kamina remembered the meaning for this, and smirked.

"That they do, Kittan." He snickered, pointing his sword towards Sayrune. "Hey, butterfly bitch!" he announced, a bit happy with his name for Adiane, as her ganmen resembled a butterfly with a talking pelvis and boob eyes. "I'll be back, don't think I'm runnin' away, and we'll have a man-to-man fight!"

With that said, Kamina departed the dock, and now joining Lagann, there was the rest of the Dai-Gurren Brigade and Simon, struggling to pilot the bulky King Kittan.

"Oi, Simon," Kittan started, Simon's eyes widening a bit as he noticed Kittan's face before him on the ganmen windshield. "How's she holdin' up for ya?"

"Ah.." Simon started, clutching the hand controls with slight worry. "It's kinda hard, but I can get used to it. How's Lagann?"

"Purrin' like a kitten!" Kittan roared, laughing up a storm and easing a bit of Simon's worry. Perhaps he was right; there would be no problem. He was dumb to hesitate earlier, right? He took a moment to stare at Sayrune, wondering how she was able to pull up the tidal wave. It was certainly an interesting feat to do so, really. His mind began to wander a bit once more, but at once, his worry re-surfaced.

"Where's Nia?" Simon questioned once more, and Kittan turned to the image of Simon on his screen with a confident smile.

"She's gonna be with Kamina in Gurren. Don't worry your little head over it." He responded boastfully, then grinned back towards Adiane. He was well fired up and ready for her to attack by this point, and was waiting for Kamina so they could start the fun. "We weren't gonna just let her stand in front of that massive thing and talk, you know!"

Simon let out a sigh of both relief and concern. She apparently knew who this was… This 'Adiane'. Maybe she would be able to fatally help them out. He wasn't so sure, however, as he pictured her as the dainty princess who didn't even know what a 'bro' was. What would she know or have in her arsenal to help them? Was it possible that she was getting information on them or their trust, just to be picked up and taken back to the capitol by this ganmen? He recalled thinking of her as a sort of beastman… could it be? No… No, it was impossible. Nia couldn't hurt a fly, and he knew it.

"Adiane! Stand down!"

Timing, timing! Nia's voice rang through the young boy's ears, catching his attention away from his inward struggle with King Kittan and her knowing Adiane. The rest of the Gurren Brigade, too, was silent, waiting for Nia to continue. Catching sight of Gurren, they spotted her atop the head, her hands spread apart, jacket blowing with the misty wind, and her face all too serious.

"As the daughter of the Spiral King, the Teppelin princess, I order you, Adiane the Elegant of the four divine generals, to lower your arms and leave!"

Shock. engulfed the members of the Dai-Gurren Brigade. Nia, princess of Teppelin? Were they hearing her correctly? If it was true, what sense would it make for her to be friendly with them? They were after her home, her kingdom, her father—Everything she stood for was their righteous enemy! Why did she choose to side with them, and why did she tell the general to stand down? Simon, most of all, felt a strike of betrayal surge through his veins, and his mouth opened in disbelief. Was she a trap? Was this all a set up? Was he played for a fool, the ultimate downfall of him and his comrades?

"Simon!" Kittan yelled angrily. "You brought home the daughter of the guy we're trying to get rid of?!"

"Oi, don't yell at Simon!" Kamina defended his little brother. "We don't know what's even going on yet!"

"It looks like Simon's provided us with both an impenetrable defense and a valuable hostage." Leeron mentioned. Still, Simon could not help but feel that he'd made a terrible mistake. Nonetheless, he simply listened for Nia to continue.

"_N… Nia?"_ The ganmen repeated in complete shock. For a moment, she remained still, then leaned towards Gurren a bit for a closer look. _"Could it really be true? Why would you be with these unscrupulous humans? It's got to be a trick!"_

"There is no trick." Nia responded confidently. Arms growing tired, she allowed them to return to her sides, but did not let up her confident glare. "To disobey me would be to disobey my father. To disobey my father would mean capital punishment for you. I say stand down!"

A moment passed with complete silence. Sayrune said nothing, jerking back as if to lunge, but hesitating.

"What's wrong, cat got'cher tongue?" Kamina commented, a grin on his face as he grew ready to attack.

"Kamina," Leeron's sing-song voice started, and he wagged his finger at the man. "Let the girl work her magic, we can't fight remember?"

Blinking, Kamina frowned once more. He took a moment to sigh, then crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

Again, silence ensued. Simon's nerves were working up more and more as time went on, as he was unsure of what to think. All he could do was stare at Gurren, watching Nia's every move. Yoko, doing the same, was not at all surprised by this. She'd been suspicious all the time Nia'd been acting so cutsey, and instead of pointing her rifle towards Sayrune as the others were, she was prepared to strike the white-haired child.

"_Nia,"_ Sayrune started once more. _"It would be treason for me not to punish a traitor. You'll be sleeping with the fishes as well as the rest of these monkeys."_

Nia, eyes widening in surprise, was surprised to hear this. She was a traitor? Why did her father wish to kill the humans? They did nothing wrong… There were great holes in the story of her life.

Finally, Sayrune made its first strike. As it transformed back into the scorpion shape, it lunged the stinger towards Nia atop of Gurren. The girl's eyes widened in horror, watching the metal evil heading for her at a most terrifying speed. A large black screen seemed to block the strike, however, as she felt the floor beneath her tilt backwards and she lost her balance. Kamina had taken the black shades from Gurren and used them as a shield, but the recoil had him fall back a little. Despite Simon's indecision on the subject, he swiftly piloted King Kittan to fall back behind Gurren and caught Nia from her fall. There, within the yellow palms, she offered Simon her regular smile.

"Thank you, Simon." She stated, finding it only polite to thank her captor, though she was still very upset by Adiane and her father. Something was wrong. Was she being abandoned? Was that all she meant to the man who raised her? Simon, hesitant to return the kindness, swallowed his second thoughts. There was no way she was a threat. This couldn't be an act. He didn't know why, but it just couldn't be; he was sure of it.

"You've got some nerve, trying to strike a defenseless girl when you've got plenty of men itching to tear you apart!" Kamina spat. Placing his shades back in place, Gurren approached the opposing ganmen, their bodily faces matching forehead to forehead. "You want a real fight, come'n get it!"

From inside Dai-Ganzan, Leeron placed a palm to his face. "Oh, Kamina…"

"Don't mind if I do." Sayrune spat back. Swiftly, a large, jagged claw struck the side of Gurren, knocking Kamina onto the surface and off of Dai-Ganzan.

"Aniki!" simon gasped, fist looking towards where Gurren had gone, then staring at Sayrune, frozen. He was too unfamiliar with this robot. What was he supposed to do?

"I'm fine, Simon. Keep fighting!" Kamina responded back. It was a small wound, really, as he'd simply bumped his head a little upon impact, slicing his almost-healed forehead gash back open. Still, the man smiled; finally, some _real_ action!

"_Pathetic."_ Sayrune mocked. _"He's the best you've got?"_

"Not even close!" Kittan roared. Pulling his arms foreword, Lagann blasted off towards Sayrune, though he did not know how to start the drill or anything else for that matter. Like a baseball, Sayrune simply swatted him away, Lagann bounding against the sand and falling close behind Gurren, who was once again on his feet.

"Dang it!" Kittan whined. "I don't know how to use this thing! It's not like King Kittan, which's got a specific way to deploy everything."

"Lagann's special!" Kamina announced. "He's unique to Simon. They share a digger's soul!"

Simon, frowning from above, was discouraged to be in the other robot. Fighting in Lagann was a challenge enough, especially against a divine general, but this was just madness. He knew that this would end up badly!

"Simon! Don't just stand there!" Yoko exclaimed, shooting bullets towards Sayrune's stinger, which was attempting to continuously strike Gurren. "Do something!"

"I don't know how to use this thing!" Simon cried. Looking around the controls, he began to panic. "It's not at all like Lagann. I can't do it!"

At once, King Kittan went limp. The control room in which Simon sat went dark, and he was left sitting there in his seat, staring in horror out the front and seeing only the deck.

"No…! It won't move!"

"Pull it together, Simon!" Kamina growled. "It's all the power of the soul! Get your fighting spirit back!" Oh no… He had the 'combat confidence' problem again.

"_Pitiful."_ Sayrune sighed. _"And to think that this is the child play that Thymilph was sacrificed for. The kid can't even start his ganmen!" _Again, Gurren was struck by a claw, and fell back in the dunes. Kamina was a bit busy trying to motivate Simon to remember the combat itself.

"Fuck…" Kamina grumbled. "We're getting' thrashed. Kittan!"

Kittan's ears perked as he struggled to control Lagann. This was certainly a feat; Simon made it look so easy!

"Yeah, Kamina!" He responded.

"Let's do_ it_!"

"_It?"_ Sayrune questioned. Was this the ace in the hole that they were so famous for? Adiane did anticipate a real battle.

Simon grew more and more flustered. Kamina and Kittan were going to combine while he sat here helpless. This was so… infuriating!

"Simon!" Nia called from below. She was just visible through the window, hands by her mouth as she called. Still, she felt her heart beating painfully against her chest. Adiane's words had hurt her deeply, they were so sudden, but she would not give up on her friend.

"Nia?" Simon's voice was low. He was not expecting to see her.

"Your 'bro' needs your help! You can defeat Adiane, even without Lagann. You'll fix it!"

Simon blinked. He'd… fix it? What was she talking about? Either way, she was right. He couldn't see Kamina or Kittan, but heard Lagann's engines blowing out jet fuel as he made his dramatic descent to the palms of Gurren.

"Kittan, damn it, start the drill!" Kamina roared, Gurren bashing Lagann against his head repeatedly. For some reason, they would not connect!

"I'm trying, hold on!" Kittan roared back. He turned the Core Drill, pulled some levers, pressed some buttons—Nothing would start Lagann's drill!

"_Fools,"_ Sayrune's voice was lower and very confident, breaking apart as Adiane's normally did_. "You can't join one ganmen to another. Who knew that humans could be so stupid?"_

Kamina gritted his teeth. He should've let Simon stay with Lagann; those two were partners, not him and Kittan, and that was a bond that shouldn't have been tampered with. "What do you know?!" He bellowed, tossing Lagann aside and running towards the scorpion ganmen. "I'll show you myself!"

"Then die for your insolence!" Sayrune's voice grew more shrill and serious as her stinger headed straight for Gurren's mouth at a speed that could shatter the teeth and pierce Kamina straight through the gut. Still, he just continued to run towards her at full speed. By this point, Simon had exited King Kittan to recover Lagann, despite Nia's pep talk, and stopped in horror.

"Kamina!" Simon and Yoko shrieked. Was this it, their worst nightmare? Was he really going to kill himself for the sake of manliness? Each of their expressions were identical. They couldn't lose their hero. Finally, the moment of truth. Yoko's rifle could not match Sayrune's speed, Gurren was beyond the point of recovery, King Kittan would not move, and Lagann was just about out of commission while Kittan handled it. He came back to the deck, puffy brows heightening at the spectacle he was witnessing. A shadow was cast high above both King Kittan's and Lagann's heads'; This was the last thing that they expected.

"No way." Kamina gasped. He took a moment to register what had just happened, then smiled profusely.

"What?!" Sayrune growled. Adiane was not prepared for this.

It seemed that everyone was a traitor today—Simon's eyes shook a bit as he stared at the scene before him, as did Nia and Yoko's. This curse had caused a miracle.

_**A/N!: **_That was a helluva chapter. I'd bet you can guess what happened at the end, tee hee. I kinda like the idea of Gurren banging Lagann on his head 'cause Kittan couldn't deploy the drill. I lol'd at the idea. x3 Anyway, next chapter's the other POV and more.. Just the other POV would be redundant and boring.


	4. A Traitor with Honor

_**A/N! **_Well, The Triumvirate of Rei has pitched a mega-GAR Gurren plot for me, so I'll be writing two at once. I'm not sure when it's gonna get started, but I'm excited, how 'bout you?? Hmm.. I really like Adiane. Nobody else understands herrrr! I'm so gonna make you feel for her, too. Anyway, I'm diving into this chapter with no idea how it's gonna end. Wish me luck!

**+A Traitor with Honor+**

Sayrune was very swift among the dunes. Though it was best in a watery terrain, it was very specialized for all weather, and much faster than Dai-Ganzan by a long-shot. Thymilph was not exactly famous for his speed, so it was only natural that she had better movement, but as he was called 'The Crusher', she had subtle fears over facing the mecha formerly known as Byakkou. Still, she was entirely certain that the humans were not exactly ganmen savvy; she didn't worry much. After all, her life was not in danger whatsoever, as far as she was concerned.

"Byakkou is in sight, Adiane-sama. We're moving in."

Blinking her snake eye abnormally slowly, Adiane raised an eyebrow very lightly. She lifted her chin, first glancing at her navigator, then at the all-too familiar robot that seemed to grow larger with every inch. Despite her security with herself, the woman's innards began to churn; with Thymilph's death and what they'd so unscrupulously done to his battle machine, their shamelessness pinched one of her nerves a bit too tightly.

"Good." Adiane spat. She was already beginning to fill with adrenaline. "I'm sick of hearing about those dirty animals. I can't wait to get rid of them myself and avenge Thymilph." The woman's voice was low and a bit solemn, but when an evil undertone was sensed, no beastman made the mistake of thinking her lonely. As far as her underlings were concerned, she had no feelings, and that notion was not subject to change. All the while sayrune approached its target, the woman's eyes refused to leave the appalling sight of Byakkou covered in juvenile graffiti and crawling with that hideous vermin called humans. Her hatred could only grow as she marveled upon the Dai-Ganzan. Accordingly, her gaze narrowed to a tight slit and her shoulders rose, silk falling farther down her arms and exposing a bit more cleavage. Despite the amount of skin that Adiane had been showing, she was much too self-indulgent to even care. She'd worn that dress many times for the sake of showing off her well-endowed body.

Finally, Sayrune had perched itself upon the deck of the Dai-Gurren Brigade's third favorite vessel. As Adiane had, the robot crossed its arms in a superior gesture before her booming voice rang out throughout the area.

"Gurren Lagann," Adiane started, repeating that statement with a foul taste in her mouth as she spoke. Promptly, she began growing more and more upset, her words steadily growing angrier until they were sowed in malevolence. She frowned her deepest frown. "Surrender to me now, and I'll make your deaths quick!" Of course, that was a lie.

From within the control room, a pair of golden eyes caught Adiane's attention. She could recall Thymilph's description of a red-haired vixen, often a threat to the ganmen that boarded in his vessel. Now, the fight had grown more than personal. Adiane felt herself struggling not to strike right at that moment and end it all, but a certain blue-haired demon leader hijacked her train of thought. Kamina stood poised and ready before Sayrune, a finger pointing straight to her and piercing her soul, as well as another nerve.

"He must be crazy!" A beastman cackled from inside the giant ganmen. "He doesn't even have a ganmen!"

"_Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi! I'm the Great Kamina, leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and I ain't surrenderin' to no swimming centipede!"_

Yes, he must've been. Adiane grimaced at the silly scene before her. Was this some sort of joke? Were they making a mockery out of her emotions? Just how far were these monsters going to go before they had enough of her? Still, he'd introduced himself as the leader. If he was the leader, wouldn't that be too easy? This must've been a trick.

"The Great Kamina?" Adiane repeated as if she'd heard wrong. She was not amused by his zany antics. "Is this a joke?" the woman slammed her arm against her control, baring her teeth as her emotions began consuming first her stomach and then her beating chest. "I'm not here to play games!!"

Kamina's face didn't change one bit. As a matter of fact, he looked _very_ pleased that he'd gotten under her skin. These humans were simply sadists; they enjoyed pain in her and her colleagues. They murdered her friend for the sake of it. This did not sit well with the polished woman, but her scowl softened a bit. She was a bit interested in how things would play out.

From the corner of her eye, a little red and pink ball came from inside Dai-Ganzan. The woman squinted, turning her attention from Kamina, and looking towards Lagann with vague interest. Was this really their ace in the hole, a puny ganmen, not even the size of her fist? It was downright insulting! The woman's bodice felt as though it was going to snap with the amount of fluster packed within its boned walls. Swallowing hard, Adiane bit her lower lip quite violently, red lipstick rubbing onto her teeth, and in habit, wiping it off with her tongue. She swung her hair from her eye for a moment, then grinned her evil grin. Gurren, did they say? So, he was the leader—He was the Gurren of Gurren Lagann! Finally, progress was being made. He hole in Adiane's heart began to fill, and the waist-clincher eased up on its constraint. Now was the time to strike, and now was the time for victory. Most of all, it would be a time of retribution.

"Adiane! Stand down!"

"Uhn—?!" Adiane gasped, her grin fading to a gasping look as she heard that sweet, guiltless voice that was as displeasing as the raspiest. The lady's jaw dropped a bit, but after only a moment, she let go of her controls. How did the humans get Nia?!

"_As the daughter of the Spiral King, the Teppelin princess, I order you, Adiane the Elegant of the four divine generals, to lower your arms and leave!"_

This was absurd—Inconceivable! Growling audibly, Adiane couldn't help but clench her fingernails tightly into her palm to the point where her knuckles turned a snowy white.

"N-nia…?" the woman gulped. "Could it really be true?"

"Damn it..!" she hissed lowly. Ramblings pierced her ears as the beastmen around her tried to rationalize the situation.

"Adiane-sama, she's a fake!"

"She's just bait. They obviously know something about Teppelin!"

"The real Nia would never oppose her father! No one would!"

"Silence, unless you have something of worth to say!" Adiane growled in impatience. Their voices were like a portly woman, chewing like an obnoxious cow on a piece of gum. She couldn't simply leave, could she? Leaning foreward a bit, she continued her inquiry. "Why would you be with these unscrupulous humans!" Their faces were so smug; Kamina's boasting was getting on her nerves more than they normally would've. This was certainly a dilemma. "It's got to be a trick!"

"Adiane-sama," another beastman started, cutting her off and nearly driving her to strike him before listening to what he had to say..

"What do you want now, freak?" she jeered. Her lower lid rose in annoyance, as her last fuse was ready to blow.

"It doesn't matter if it's really Nia—It's sedition."

Now there was something of value. Another hurdle had been jumped, and again smiling evilly, Adiane closed her eye for only a moment, lowering her head in triumph.

"Good work." She muttered in a juicy tone, then lifted her head to roar at the humans.

"Nia, it would be treason for me not to punish a traitor." The sing-song was back in Adaine's voice, though it was in an intimidating way. "You'll be sleeping with the fishes, as well as the rest of these monkeys!"

Watching Nia's reaction to these words was the icing on Adiane's cake. Apparently, she was the real Nia, hurt deeply by the straight facts. Oh, how good it would taste to wipe that cutsey smile from her royalty face. As much as Adiane didn't want to admit it, she was jealous of the girl who was treated so well by her father. Adiane did the real work and did not get the title 'princess'. Now, she would have her closure. Whipping her tongue from her mouth, Adiane's grin widened across her face, and she transformed Sayrune to its scorpion state. Aiming towards Gurren, she jerked her arm, Sayrune striking the opposing ganmen with moderate force and watching gaily as it traveled into the sand. Already, she heard a child screaming for his leader.

"Pathetic." Adiane sighed in contentment. "He's the best you've got?" she laughed—things were finally going right! Lagann had fired itself towards her, and without battig an eye, she swatted it away like a fly. How Thymilph fell to them, she didn't understand. Maybe it was the Princess Nia card they'd pulled on her. They were so useless, the yellow one that'd caught Nia was already out of commission, and she hadn't even done anything!

"Pitiful!" The woman shrieked in laughter. "And to think that this was the child's play that Thymilph was sacrificed for. That kid can't even start his ganmen!" In the midst of her laughter, Adaine again struck Gurren, her personal grudge against Kamina turning into something rather comic. They were so pathetic, rolling around in that sand. She could tell that Kamina's head was not in the match, but that worked in her favor rather than against it.

"_Let's do__ it__!"_

Adine's brow raised as the work 'it' was accentuated. Apparently, they were going to combine, as the rumors had said. This was something that she absolutely had to see for herself to understand. Sure enough, their attempt made her place a palm to her forehead. That was… ludicrous.

"Fools. You can't join one ganmen to another. Who knew humans could be so stupid?" she half sighed. It was sad rather than entertaining at that extent—That kind of stupidity was better off dead, anyway. Thymilph… How did he not _obliterate_ them? This battle was no longer interesting. She'd bided her time to see something exciting, and they failed to deliver.

"_What do you know? I'll show you myself!"_

Now, all she wanted to see was Kamina's guts being washed from her windshield back in Teppelin, and maybe take those shades as a souvenir. She felt as though she was in a comedic cartoon by this point.

"Then die for your insolence." Adiane hissed. The emotions she's struggled against from the moment she spotted the battered Dai-Ganzan surged into her arms as they lunged foreword, Sayrune's stinger headed dead-on Kamina's control room. Adiane's accuracy couldn't have been better, and pleased with herself, the woman let out a whole-hearted cackle. Her entire body was thrown foreword with the force she put in her attack, and again, her tongue fell from her mouth as if to say 'I win'. Finally, a strike! At first, she roared of hilarity, thinking that she'd finally eliminated the humans' leader, but when gasping voices were heard and she spied Kamina's smiling face on her screen, the snake eye widened as much as possible. "What?!" She snarled in confusion. After a moment, what had happened finally registered.

"Viral!!"

Nothing could've enraged Adiane further. Her nose flared as she developed a cold sweat, teeth bared as she stared in bewilderment. Sayrune's stinger had gone right through Enkidou, and greatly wounded the bandaged shark man. Now, his face was on her screen, one cat-eye low and seemingly begging forgiveness.

"Forgive me, Adiane." Viral spoke in a formal manner. He'd dove in front of Gurren on impulse, and now, he regretted it terribly. It was evident in his voice. "I… I don't know what came over me. I had a personal dispute to settle with him, and—"

"You shut your mouth, you sordid, nauseating _thing_!" Adiane hollered to the top of her lungs. She couldn't have been any angrier. Navy blue hair swung wildly from her seat and was terribly mussed as she screamed. "How _dare_ you interfere with my battles when I specifically told you_ not to follow me_! I'll kill you _myself_ for _disobeying my orders_ and spare you the trip to Teppelin!!" The woman's throat hurt horribly. She felt as though she were ready to cry. Now, Enkidou was fatally injured, and Viral's side had a terrible gash. How dare he bleed all over her precious Sayrune!

Bang. With one gunshot, Adiane's windshield shattered. She screamed a dreadful bloody-murder, not from pain as the glass cut her upper chest and cheek, but out of pure frustration that had been building since Thymilph's death. Viral, shaking and losing great amounts of blood, was left astonished. He had never seen Adiane scream like that… He'd never betrayed Teppelin. Soon, his pale skin turned to a sickly pale. Growing faint, he struggled to keep himself from losing consciousness.

"_Adiane-sama… forgive me_." He choked before his head made contact with Sayrune's stinger, falling forewards and passing out from a lack of blood. He'd saved Kamina's life and injured his superior. What had he done? Why had he done it? What would become of him? Would it cost him his life?

"Thymilph is dead, and your sorry ass got in the way of my vengeance! You're nothing but a traitor, worth as much as these vulgar humans! I wish Sayrune had gone right through you! I wish—I wish—" Adiane was at her cracking point. As she bellowed and Sayrune powered down, she pulled her hands to her head and ruffled her hair, face growing sticky from nose-runnings and tears, which stung the wounds stray glass had inflicted. The woman cried monstrously, falling foreward in her seat, as some of her crew died from the glass' impact, some were bleeding profusely, and the rest stayed where they were, quaking out of fear for Adiane's hysteria. She listened to the happy voices of the humans, and as she looked at them with a menacing eye, they entered Sayrune, Kittan grasping her arm and lifting her from her seat before swinging her around and locking her arms. She attempted to whack him away with her tail, but hesitated upon finding a rifle pointed directly for her forehead.

"Don't shoot, Yoko!" Kamina roared, finally stepping one foot onto the immobilized robot and smirking at Adiane. Soon after, Simon had climbed his way alongside his bro. Adaine glared at them with all of the hatred her body could contain. What did they intend to do? Why wouldn't they just shoot her and put her out of her misery?! "We've got some questions to ask you monsters." Kamina remarked.

"You're the monsters." Adiane hissed, still sobbing lightly as the tears streamed down her infuriated face. "You're all fucking monsters, fucking _freaks_."

"Ay, you're the one with a fucking tail." Kittan shook her from behind for a moment, then looked up towards Kamina.

"What about the other one?" He inquired, a bit curious as to why Kamina had mentioned more than one 'monster'." Grinning a triumphant grin, Kamina placed his orange shades on and let his hands rest on his hips.

"The guy's on our side!"

"Ehh?!" Kittan gasped. "Since when?!"

"Kamina," Simon nudged his brother. Sure, Kamina was stupid sometimes, but this was just crazy! "You're talking about Viral, your arch-nemesis. How could he possibly be on our side—oh?" Kamina placed a hand on Simon's head. For a moment, they were silent, all but Kamina confused as he stood there with an amused smile.

"Simon, my only arch-nemesis is that Beast-Maker-King-Guy. Besides, he took the hit for Gurren. You saw that back there, right?"

"But Kamina," Simon began to protest, but was stopped by Kittan.

"I guess he's too weak to be fightin', anyway. Let's get Kiyoh and Kiyal in here to take him to our Gurren-dan hospital, stat!" the man roared, clenching his hands around Adiane's wrists. She no longer struggled, but instead stared towards Kamina and Simon with eyes of amazement and hatred. That guy was so unmistakably stupid. He made her very skin crawl, her eyes sting, her heart beat faster. How could he have defeated her, Adiane the Elegant of Teppelin's four divine generals? She really did question whether or not Viral was honestly on her side. Was he bitter against her saying no? Did he even realize it himself?

"Let's get the scorpion freak locked up!" Kamina shouted, pointing towards Adiane with a boastful smile and heading down Sayrune with a bounce in his step. The woman's agony was a victory for him. Simon, however, saw Adiane differently. Those tears, her screams, and the way she didn't even struggle anymore… she was being effected just as much as they were from this war. Was it possible that neither side was right? As he looked towards the intimidating woman, he couldn't help but feel a bit of empathy for her. When she looked back at him, she saw the innocence in his eyes. He was nothing but a child who'd gotten mixed into this madness by a loudmouth brother. Still, she hated him just as well. Seeing Simon burn would make her feel as if it were Nia.

_**A/N! **_Doesn't Adiane make you think of a more-fun version of Princess Azula from Avatar? I had to do that. I also reeeally wanted to see what would happen if she was taken captive into the Gurren-dan. How will she effect Cytomander and Guame? How will she effect the Dai-Gurren Brigade? How will that all effect her? Oh, and Viral, too! I kinda wanna know myself……… tee hee. OH, and again, I neglected to proofread.


	5. Personal Felony

_**A/N! **_SO, I missed an update yesterday! I'm very sorry, my three readers(lawl), but I was selected to be on the STEVE WILKOS SHOW and totally failed at forgetting my excitement to write some more. I'm loving the positive reviews I'm getting, you all sound so passionate! I'll try my best to make this story as epically proportioned as possible… I just have no idea what's gonna happen next D8

**+Personal Felony+**

As despicable and creepy as the scorpion woman was, the men had to admit that she emitted a certain pleasant aroma. Excluding the tail and her eye-patch, she was very well put together, prim and pristine; hadn't Nia called her 'Elegant' earlier? There was no doubt that she was, indeed, a gorgeous, and very evil, woman.

Kittan's hands clasped the lady's wrists with great force. As well as a womanly build, something about her was astonishingly intimidating. Apparently, their arch-rival Viral was a step below her, if not more, so her threat level was quite high. If she had been sent straight from Teppelin, not only did her being sent to fight flatter the Dai-Gurren Brigade, but they had a very valuable hostage on their hands. For a good while, they'd forgotten about Nia's controversy and focused on their two new prisoners. Dragging her heels against the metal deck, Adiane's head fell foreword, her hair covering her heavily mussed face as she growled frequently in stirring hatred. She muttered a few things under her breath, but nobody cared enough to listen to what they were. If anything, she was cursing their names, the Gurren-dan who'd taken her captive. Still, despite their victory, the group was not all too high and mighty. The only reason they hadn't lost their leader was because of Viral. They didn't know what to think of him: Was he a murderous beastman, or was he a hero?

Within the hour, Viral had been taken to Dai-Ganzan's hospital. Rossiu and Kiyal accompanied Leeron in taking care of him, and as Rossiu removed his stained bandages, Kiyal removed his shirt. The purple-haired girl was not her peppy self; looking at this man gave her serious jitters, as she used her fingertips to pick and pry the wet cloth from his scarred chest. Those shark teeth she spied from his open mouth made the moment surreal. This was a real live beastman—He was not human.

After the deeds were finished, Leeron blinked two massive, amorous eyes in the direction of his new project. Viral, despite his malicious nature, was very pretty. Nonetheless, this was business, and with two girlish hands, he began re-wrapping the man's head.

"His wounds are only on the top half of his body… right?" Kiyal questioned, feeling a bit awkward in having to tend to a naked enemy. She shivered a bit, squinting slightly from the strange imagery.

"Who knows?" Leeron sang, smiling in a sly way as he worked. "Don't worry your pretty little head over it. Rossiu and I can take care of that." Without looking up, the green-haired queen could sense Rossiu's surprise and reluctance, much to his liking. "…Unless you're uncomfortable?"

Furrowing his brow, Rossiu let his chin sink a bit. Leeron always sort of gave him the creeps. He had a feeling that he would be enjoying doing this alone, and as much as that made him feel obligated, he swallowed hard. "…Yeah, it's… just kinda weird."

"No worries!" Leeron chuckled. "I can do it myself."

Together, Kiyal and Rossiu cringed. For the first time, they felt a little bad for unconscious Viral. Giving each other an expectant look, their faces of uncertainty morphed quickly to alarm when the door was violently slammed open. The three who'd taken Viral to the room simultaneously peered upwards to spy Kamina's hand on the door, his stance very high-strung as usual, but instead of a giddy smile on his face, he held an expression of concern. Behind him was Yoko, her rifle not at hand, and sort of sinking under Kamina's fierce shadow.

"Kamina?" Leeron started. "I thought you were going to interrogate the other beastman." The look in his eye was very expectant, as he was sure that Kamina would be coming to visit Viral, the one who'd saved his life and gotten in his way many times. The goof was much too predictable.

"Yeah," the man grunted, stepping into the room and standing over Viral's right side. "I kinda figured I owed it to 'em to welcome him to the brigade, but he's still out like a light." The man sighed. He obviously had an internal battle raging on within, something that rarely happened to the man who was always so sure of his actions. He almost never thought anything through, intriguing Leeron that he was now actually taking concern into consideration. Looking down at the blonde monster, Kamina's glowing red gaze tightened. He recalled the creepy look Viral had given him upon their first meeting, pulling the cleaver on him and their exciting fight. He recalled their bathhouse encounter, in which Viral had given them the nicknames of 'Naked Apes'. Most of all, he remembered how he got in the way and nearly got him killed in his battle with Thymilph. Why did he decide now to keep him from dying? Was it something against Adiane, or was it his honor? Did beastmen ever even have honor? Viral didn't when he was going to let him be finished off by Thymilph, but he was just so confused. Was admitting him to the team a bad move? What were his motives?

"His wounds aren't too bad, as some of them from before are already partially healed," Leeron started again, giving the others the lowdown. "It seems that the woman's ganmen pierced his side just far enough to almost hit his ribs. He'd have been a goner to internal bleeding if he wasn't so lucky." He sniggered a bit. This whole situation was proving very interesting.

"But his face looks so battered.." Yoko pointed out. She, too, was having second thoughts about Viral. Still, she wanted to be dead set on continuing to hate him, despite how he saved the man she loved. She questioned his motives as well. Right now, she only agreed to let him live so that they could use him later. "There's no glass in him, so it wasn't the windshield. What did that?"

Leeron sighed lightly. "It must be from something else. Apparently, back in Teppelin, he was beaten to the face by somebody, and pretty hard. It opened a couple of wounds and loosened a tooth, but nothing too serious. Those beastmen really are ruthless when it comes to losing, huh?"

"Shameless!" Kamina exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his nose higher. "If someone loses, they shouldn't beat 'em up!"

"D'you think it was that other one that did it?" Rossiu offered. "I mean… she yelled some pretty hateful things to him, and they obviously know each other. Plus, he addressed her as a superior."

Yoko looked at Rossiu expectantly, pushing her lips to one side and crossing her arms as well. "Maybe." She sighed, unamused. She really hated seeing Kamina wanting to add their enemy, already a double-crosser, to their team. Viral was supposed to have died long before, anyway, they were doing fine without him. With a deep breath, she looked back towards Leeron, whose hands slithered to the top of Viral's bloodied pants. At once, they all flinched.

"Ron," Yoko gapsed. "What're you doing??" her face flushed, as well as everyone else's. Kamina had shot back the farthest, bumping a bit into Kiyal who grew a bit annoyed. At their reactions, Leeron couldn't help but giggle.

"You don't want his other wounds to get infected do you?" he teased. "You all can leave the room now, and I'll call you back in when we're done~!"

Without hesitation, the four scrambled out of the room and slammed the door shut. Once outside, they all let out sighs of relief. Leeron was so sly, and that image was something that would remain burned in their minds forever. Poor, poor, poor, poor Viral.

"Yoko," Kamina started, looking towards the red-haired woman with a disgruntled face.

"Yeah, Kamina?"

"If I ever pass out like that, don't _ever_ leave me alone, asleep, in a hospital room with Ron."

Adiane's Cell

Immediately, upon entering the Dai-Ganzan, Adiane had been tossed into a jail cell in which Leeron had constructed for these exact purposes. She sat against the metal wall, her hair now a bit wet from her facial fluids, and her arms folded onto her lap. The woman's legs were folded upwards, knees together, though due to the shortness of her skirt, she revealed a bit to the men before her, and was completely aware of it. Due to her low opinion of them, she assumed that with a little skin, she would be able to escape after not to long. Would it be a good idea to lie and pretend to be on their side, of would she stick by her word? If she saw Nia, would she have to swallow her dignity and apologize? That, there, would be too far; there was always a line that Adiane would never cross, and this was one of them. The floor was horrendously cold, and the room was a dark bluish color form the lack of sunlight. It was like being in Lordgenome's throne room, but this time at the mercy of these pitiful creatures. Her tail would have to rest against the freezing cold, as well. The end twitched a bit, swaying slowly a bit from side to side as she pondered her next move.

"Alright, miss priss!" Kittan roared, arms crossed in power as Simon and the rest of the Dai-Gurren Brigade looked towards her strangely. Attenborough, Ailak, Kidd, Zoushi, and Tetsukan were a bit more focused on her exposed panties, but Kittan, Simon, Jougan, Barinbou, Makken, and Dayakka paid more attention to the real matter at hand. Adiane, looking past a bit of her messy bangs, could see that very well, and pushed her knees together a bit more, separating her heels a bit to try and capture more attention. Accordingly, Simon and Kittan were the only ones left who cared about something other than perverse notions. "We wanna know who your leader is, who else is comin' for us, who the hell you are, and how to kill those beast fuckers!"

Kittan was so unbearably annoying. He gave the woman a headache so quickly, her tail began swishing a bit faster in irritation. "My name is Adiane." She started in a low, hateful tone, despite her attempts at swaying their attention. She couldn't help but let her revulsion seep out through her words. Simon, seeing her motives, frowned deeply. She just wanted to get out of here. Really, she looked like a caged rat, and despite how he did agree that she deserved what she got, he couldn't help but see things from her point of view. While she and her family were trying to live peacefully, the humans messed that up for her, right? Was she really just doing what she did to be malicious, or did she have a choice?

"I'm a general for Lordgenome, my father and my king." No… she was raised to hate humans. That was her purpose, why she was created. Simon could hardly blame her, to be honest, but still felt a flame of burden within himself. Picturing her and Sayrune causing an earthquake and killing his parents pushed his pity aside. The boy's composure ripped a little, and his eyes narrowed in bitterness.

Kittan blinked, a bit surprised that she'd outright said her name and motive. "Uhh," he started, scratching his head a moment and raising one bushy eyebrow. Within a moment, he was back to hollering. "You didn't answer all'a my questions!"

Adiane frowned. She glared at Kittan, exposing her face to the men and spying Simon once more. This time, he actually looked angry. That little cretin… something about him made her angrier, that a child was allowed to take her, a full-grown woman who'd lived many, many years his senior, captive. He made her the sickest.

"What if I don't wanna?" she spat back, making up her mind and fighting against her still enemies. "I'd never sell out my fellow beastmen. Humans are the scum of the Earth, and I'm here to eliminate them so that we, as the superior race, can live in peace." She scoffed heavily.

Kittan frowned deeper, tightening his arms across his chest and looking towards Ailak, fishing for more things to ask. Honestly, he was no good at interrogations.

"Hmph!" He grunted, and Ailak looked back at him with low, groggy eyes, a bit confused. What was Kittan looking at him for? "Don't you have somethin' to say?" the blonde egged him on to speak. Oh! Right, the interrogation!

Crossing his arms, Ailak shrugged, his jumpsuit collar partially covering his chin. He jerked his neck to push his blue hair aside, then looked back towards Adiane. For a moment, the two stared at each other, Adiane's eye piercing, and his a bit lost, as he had no idea what to say, either. If anything, he was still afraid of her, even when she was behind bars.

"No, not really." He shrugged again, enraging Kittan.

"Doesn't anyone have anything useful to contribute here?!" He roared, turning around to face his men and spreading his arms out wide. After a moment of silence, they looked over and under his arms to continue staring up the beast woman's skirt. Kittan slapped his hand to his face.

"Why do you think humans are evil?" Simon's calm voice spoke, catching Kittan's attention.

"Eh…?" He started, then shook his head. "Who cares why she hates us, the point is, she does!" he argued. Simon looked up towards him with confident eyes. It was clear that Kittan did not think of Adiane as a living being, but instead a punching-bag.

"If we understand where she's coming from, we can fix it." He explained in a steady tone, then looked at Adiane once more. Her eyes were growing more and more loathing. How dare he ask something so grisly!

"Because," she snapped before Kittan could respond. Instead of continuing to sway the perverted men to her side, she got up to her feet, the skirt falling back in front of her, but her leg poking out one side, becoming more of a threat than a sex object with the eerie tattoo she sported. Swishing quickly, her tail made whipping noises in the air, and she approached the bars, clenching them as she leaned over to growl at Simon directly. "They have no brains, no feelings, and live only to destroy!"

Simon's expression did not change. He raised his chin to look upwards at Adiane, and the rest of the brigade watched him in slight awe. She was very, very scary; they expected the boy to run away with his tail between his legs!

"We're trying to build a society to live in peace," Simon started, contradicting Adiane and enraging her further. "We only destroy what tries to destroy us. Your ganmen have been destroying us, so we're fighting back just to stay alive." His tone was beginning to grow harsher as he reminisced about being a child and losing his parents right before his eyes. Then, he remembered Kamina; that mad had become more than a 'big bro', but that of a father figure to him. Adiane could not bring herself to sympathize. She was too hard-headed after being betrayed by her underling, and made a face towards Simon.

"That's too bad." She grunted. "I do what my king tells me to do, no more, no less." Her tone became droll as she mocked the boy before her. "I kill humans because I have to, or else I get punished. Besides, I like to see those smug smiles wiped off their ugly little faces." A hiss was evident in her tone, and her snake-eye pupil thinned as she argued with Simon. She could tell that he was trying to make a point, but did not see what it was.

"So," Simon started, narrowing his eyes a bit and crossing his arms. "You think we have no feelings because he tells you that? You think we kill beastmen because we like to? Do you listen to everything you're told without thinking about whether or not it's in your best interest?" He suddenly raised his voice only slightly. "You think you're better than us just because you were told that by your dad?"

Adiane was a bit taken back. "Tch!" She hissed, sneering at Simon and standing up straight, crossing her arms before her chest and towering over him. Still, she was a bit stirred by his words. Was it possible at all that humans did really have feelings? She thought back to Guame and Cytomander, as well has her father. They rarely seemed to display any warmth or value towards her, even throwing around death threats and blackmail, but she did just the same in return. Still, she was much too stubborn to succumb to Simon.

"You humans have made me lose a lot." She snarled.

"You beastmen have made us lose just as much, if not more!" Simon responded quickly. He was now getting passionate. "I wouldn't be here, fighting for my freedom if it wasn't for you and your creator!" He finally let himself scream at her, tears welling in his eyes from constant reminder of his lost parents, though he would not let them run down his cheeks. "I lost my mother and father to you! What did I ever do that was so wrong? Was it because I was born a human? Do I deserve to be punished for something I have no control over?"

Adiane's jaw clenched. She spied the deep emotion in Simon's words, but still was much too stubborn to admit that she felt a slight connection with him. She wanted to admit her pain from losing Thymilph, her best and only real friend, and the emptiness that came from a life dedicated to ending others, but stood strong with her false beliefs. At first, she remained silent, then let out a deep breath through her nose. Without saying a word, she returned to the back of the cell and sat down, this time with her legs together, as she just wanted to be alone and bask in her own self-pity.

Simon was breathing a bit heavily. Kittan and the others looked at him with both sympathy and surprise, but remained silent. They were beginning to see the real soul underneath a puny little boy's body. They were beginning to see how he and Kamina were so close, and they were beginning to see why his bro believed in him to play a key role in their liberation. After a moment to calm down, Simon sighed his worries away and looked up towards the older men. He gave them a momentary glance, then started away with his hands by his sides, something heavy on his mind. He noticed how she didn't try to stab back once he admitted to his dirty laundry. He knew that Adiane had some good in her, and he began to wonder if there was any right or wrong side to this war. To the beastmen… humans _were_ evil.

"Well," Kittan started, scratching the back of his head as Simon departed. He took a moment to absorb the scene that'd just broken out before them, then put on a confident face once more. "We'll be back to get the rest, Adiane!" he announced, pointing at the disgruntled woman and motioning for the others to follow. A bit behind, the others blinked towards Kittan, hesitantly following him up and out of the eerie corridor. The humans had left Adiane by her lonesome to think about what Simon had said. Would it be blasphemous to Lordgenome if she spoke to him about Thymiplh? What kind of life would await her when she returned, if she was even permitted to continue living? What kind of restrictions did these humans have on each other, anyway? Was it possible that their leader actually treated them as equals? Why wouldn't they fear him if he was the strongest, chosen to be in charge? How come he didn't rule with an iron fist, but instead a flashy pair of orange sunglasses?

Nia

The scene before the girl was astonishing. She watched Adiane and Viral being escorted inside of the ship-like ganmen, one that had been taken from Thymilph, and these humans taking charge of a life that was once hers. Though it was painful to see memories from her past with her father, it did her heart good to see that righteousness was prevailing. These humans, as far as she was concerned, were the protagonists in this situation, as she had been a part of both sides. Any man who would abandon his daughter, any woman who would kill because she was told to, any being with no remorse for hurting the innocent were nothing but problems for the former princess. Brushing a lock of cloudy hair behind her ear, two colorful eyes examined Sayrune's pincher in Enkidou. Viral had risked his life to, not only betray Adiane, but save Kamina. He had become somewhat of a heroto them all, but she wondered if he would continue to be on their side. Judging by his apology to Adiane and his reason for saving Gurren, she did not think it was wise to let him join them, but only fair that they healed him.

"Nia," a mature woman's voice started, catching the young girl's attention. Raising a fist to her chin, she turned around to spy Reite and Gabal, the two Gurren-Dan members believed not to be either helping Viral, steering Dai-Ganzan as she understood Kinon and Kiyoh were doing, or interrogating Adiane. What were they supposed to be doing, anyway?

"Yes?" the girl questioned, still a bit shaken from Adiane's words. It hadn't sunk in quite yet that she was still only a pawn, abandoned by her father when she was no longer amusing, just because of a simple question. Her eyes displayed slight unhappiness, though she tried her best to smile. Muchto her surprise, Gabal had pulled the sleeve of her pink jacket, maneuvering it off of her and throwing it over his shoulder.

"You're coming with us." Reite finished in a stern voice. Nia could only look up at them with widened, surprised eyes. Did they think that she was a traitor? Had Simon ordered them to take her away? At once, she found herself being escorted down to the jail cells as well, passing by first Simon and then the men of Gurren-dan.

"Simon!" she called, aghast. Simon, whose mind was on other things, picked up his eyes to search for the light voice that had just called him.

"Nia?" he questioned, letting Kittan and the others pass before he could see her, Reite, and Gabal holding her wrists together as they had to Adiane. His eyes widened in horror, and he jogged to catch up with her. "Nia!"

"We had orders." Reite said simply to Simon before she started away with Gabal, adjusting her lab coat slightly and Gabal running his hands up and down Nia's soft, fleece jacket. They'd already introduced her to a cell alongside Adiane's and were on their way out.

Adiane's eyes lit up as she spied Nia being escorted within as well. This could be a good thing, pitting the others against the flowery little girl she loathed so much. Apparently, she and the boy that confronted her had become friends. Simon, eh?

"From who?" Simon asked harshly. "Surely not Kamina! He'd never lock up a girl who tried saving us!"

Reite sighed, nearly already out of the hallway. "No," she sighed, scratching her head lightly. "Someone else. Sorry, but we were told not to let her out, even if you told us to, Simon." She shrugged sluggishly, then continued out of sight with Gabal. Simon's eyes tightened.

"Who could possibly have authority over bro…?"

"Simon," Nia started again, catching his attention once more, but this time not frightened. As a matter of fact, she smiled lightly to her friend, knowing that he was not the one to do this to her. "It's okay. It's only natural, since I said that I was a Teppelin Princess after all."

Simon looked at her strangely. Was she really okay with everything like this? She was so nice all of the time, it made him feel like an absolute brute for having to leave her locked up like this.

"You'll fix it, I'm sure!" Nia reassured herself and her friend. She blinked wide, happy eyes towards Simon, and for a moment, he looked at her blankly before smiling a bit.

"Yeah… I'll fix it."

Augh—These two kids were pitiful. Though Adiane sub-consciously yearned to pour her heart out to Simon, she still forced herself to hate him, and it was made much easier by his friendship with Nia. She closed her eye, lifting her chin and resting the back of her head against the back wall. It was time to think of an escape plan, and not to dwell on any silly connections.

ViralFirst, there was a piercing crash, next, screams and sobs as well as insults from Adiane, then another humble apology. Now, after having thought himself still in Enkidou, Viral's body darted upwards, cat eyes widened and shocked, as he spied before him not broken glass or Sayrune's stinger, but instead a quaint, comfortable room, a bandage over one of his eyes, and more bandages halfway down his body. What had happened? How did he get here? The man's breathing picked up a bit as he looked towards two monster hands; he was alive, right?

"Well, well, good morning, sleepy head~" Leeron teased, scaring the bajeebies out of the beastman and causing him to flinch.

"Ah—!" Viral gasped, eyes widened and nearly falling from his hospital bed. That voice was farmiliar—It was that man-woman from the Dai-Gurren Brigade's voice, the one that was always traveling around with Kamina, Yoko, and Simon! After regaining his composure a little, the man's jaw hung open in slight disbelief, teeth baring at the smiling man beside him.

"You guys saved me?" he questioned in a low, hushed voice. Again, Viral was in deep disbelief. Why on Earth would these humans save a beastman, especially one that was trying so hard to destroy them?

"Sure did, Viral," Leeron smiled with a slight shrug. "Kamina ordered for us to take you in and fix you up. He said you had quite a bit of honor, defending Gurren from Adiane like that, and wanted for you to join him."

Viral's brow furrowed. Of course, Kamina wouldn't let him die until their showdown. The two had beef with one another, and as Viral didn't want Adiane to be the one to kill Kamina, Kamina didn't want her to be the one to kill Viral. It made perfect sense. Still, he wanted him… to join them? What little sense did this idiot have? Viral had zero intention of helping the humans, no matter what! His loyalty was to Lordgenome, his father, and the rest of Teppelin! Leeron, reading Viral's eyes, was greatly amused. He put on another amorous look.

"While patching you up, I couldn't help but notice all that 'honor', too."

Viral took a moment to look at Leeron strangely, trying to decipher what he was saying. After a moment of looking at himself, he gasped loudly and pulled a sheet over himself, growling menacingly at the mechanic, giggling like a girl in his seat. Viral's face turned deep, deep red—Who the hell did this guy think he was?!

"You touch me again, I'll show you how much 'honor' I've got!" the beastman growled. He felt very violated, but at the same time grateful to Leeron. Moreso, he felt violated. Why couldn't he just let him die?

"Sounds fun." Leeron egged him on more until Viral's teeth were fully bared and his hands were balled ion monster fists. After another chuckle, Leeron waved a hand before him. "I'm just kidding, you know, no need to get your bandages in a bunch!"

"Why you—!!" Another sexual innuendo, and the man was going to snap! He prepared his arm for a swift jab to the creepy face of Leeron's, but was interrupted as the door swung open once more.

"So, you're alive! I thought you'd be fish-paste back there, monster-boy, 'til I heard you squealin' at Ron!"

Kamina… Viral's mouth closed in tranquility, and his hands relaxed by his sides. All he could do was look expectantly up at the man who'd rescued him, and his stomach began gathering fluster. He needed to know for himself, out of Kamina's own mouth.

"Why did you save me… you naked ape?"

_**A/N! **_Wow, lotsa perverted stuff in this chapter. I lol'd at Viral and Leeron. XD I don't have much else to say, really. I proofread some of it! Haha, that's an improvement, but I only got so far without not caring anymore. This was kind of a 'had-to-happen' chapter, not too exciting, but very important, I think. Next one'll be a bit more exciting, I'm hoping. I wonder who I'll bring in next… Guame, Cytomander, maybe someone else, maybe both… I have no idea yet! Hee hee!


	6. Picky

_**A/N! **_Soooo, my mind may be a little… weird today. Heheh. Sorry 'bout that. I came up with a few ideas that may be difficult to execute, but I'm gonna try my best. The chapter rotation for the good and bad guys will have to come to an end, too, if that didn't already happen, since it would just be to boring to only write for Cytomander and Guame. I wanna see Adaine and Simon, dang it! What an unlikely couple... Even as friends. What's she, two hundred and twenty three years old? XD Maybe like Yoko didn't age during the timeskip, she won't, either, bahahh. I also wanna see Viral and Kamina. Those two make me so happy.

*Schadenfreude means taking pleasure in other people's pain in german, fyi. I didn't know how else to put it. :D

**+Picky+**

Again in the depths of Lordgenome's lair, Cytomander stood poised and ready for any direction he would be given. Unlike the hypocritical Adiane and the challenging Guame, he was the general that would carry out any order given to him, for that was his definition of honor. Beside him was his wise ally, not so graceful in his stance, and puffing his long-drag into little rings for his own amusement. Adiane's temper and Guame's 'I-don't-care' attitude in the presence of their king often bothered the avian, for he was the only one with the utmost respect that was meant to be due, and still the other two seemed to be favored over him. Crossing his arms and blocking a bit of the cold from seeping into his jumpsuit, he looked towards Lordgenome with both interested and disgruntled eyes.

"Adiane has been captured?" He questioned, masking his inward schadenfreude* with a serious tone.

"Yes." Lordgenome responded, also very unhappy, but for more obvious reasons. His chin hung low, a shadow cast over his spiral eyes, though they lit up much like the floor when they were open. Adiane being caught was like a slap to the face, as he had allowed her to go because of her whining about Thymilph. Their friendship was what had likely brought them down to the humans, despite how Viral had gotten involved both times. For some reason, that man's wayward interest in the humans, especially Kamina, their 'demon' leader as they called him, made the tyrant feel for him a bit. His generals were despicable in the sense that they just listened to everything he said despite their happiness; they were not fit to be human replacements. Somehow, Viral showed an interesting hint of Spiral Power, despite how it was impossible for that to be true. Even with Guame by his side as he defeated the Anti-Spirals for the first time and sent the humans underground for their own protection, essentially becoming the king of the surface alongside his partner, he'd lost any bond with the perverted monster and saw him as only another rogue that at least had the audacity to stand up for his fraudulent wants. "She and Viral are both in the humans' base." He explained briefly, then dropped the subject, as it was irrelevant to what he intended to do next. Really, the humans deserved the surface more than his own children, but the man pushed that evident fact aside and allowed his slowly developed malevolence take control of his judgment.

"So, the woman didn't have it in her." Guame's scratchy voice stated lowly between puffs. Inhaling a bit more smoke, he cackled like a scoundrel, strings of smoke departing between his teeth and clouding his face for a moment before it dissipated, collecting in the highest point in the ceiling, and giving the illusion of clouds. "Maybe they were too strong for her, and Viral saved her life, hm?" It was like him to present new ideas, but rarely did he ever honestly believe them.

"Not even a fatality." Cytomander sighed in response, lifting his nose in a self-indulgent manner. "I expected her to at least take somebody down with her, but even that treacherous Viral is still alive."

Lordgenome's eyes tightened. What exactly was treachery at this point, anyway? He felt himself growing a bit against Cytomander and wondered how well he would fare against the humans. If he was going to have an ego and talk that way about the others, he had better prove that he's worth it.

"Cytomander," he started in his booming, solemn voice, and catching the beastman's attention. Guame simply narrowed his gaze. He knew his lord all too well to know why he was going to send Cytomander instead of him, his once right-hand man. "If you have what it takes to get rid of that vermin once and for all, I want you to do it."

Blinking a moment as he processed the older man's words, the man nodded lightly. "Of course." He stated in his melodic voice, bowing slightly much to Lordgenome's ire. "I will not let you down like Adiane and Thymilph."

"Then go." Lordgenome didn't want to hear anymore of that yellow-bellied man. He watched Cytomander depart with a scheming look in his eye and wondered exactly what would become of his third general that was sent for that band of rebels. As he left, he turned his attention to Guame, who had given him a very knowing look.

"Deja Vu, milord?" he offered, then grinned widely for the malicious man. He and Lordgenome had a slight understanding after having done so much together in the past. Honestly, it was more than just experience that bound those two together, no matter how frail their bond was at this point. Though the man seated on his spiral throne wanted to agree, he simply let his eyes sink and hinted towards a nod.

"Make sure the humans don't make it to Teppelin. I don't have as much faith as I normally would in Cytomander."

**+Kamina and Viral+**

With a wide grin, Kamina furrowed his brow and smirked at his rival. His arms were crossed in a manly way, as his stance seemed as though he were posing for a statue carving. Viral simply sat in his hospital bed, wrapped nearly head to toe in bandages and gauze with red blotches all throughout them. His face was not as amused as Kamina's, and he let his monster hands rest by his sides on the stiff mattress. After a brief moment of reminiscing, he couldn't help but crack a small smile. It was worth the wounds and betrayal to be able to face him man-to-man and end it once and for all one of these days.

"I couldn't let you take a blow like that for me and not let you live to say thanks, could I?" Kamina smiled again, relieving all tension between the two. He bent over to face Viral more nose-to-nose and looked a bit more playful than Viral had imagined. Accordingly, the beastman looked at him with puzzlement. Why was he treating him as if they'd been friends forever? Again, Kamina chuckled. "I didn't think that stinger would go through Gurren, so I would've been scorpion food. Besides, you've got the skills and the honor!"

Vitral's eyes tightened a bit as he turned his face a bit away from Kamina, though his eyes were still locked in his. This was so surreal. Here he was, sitting vulnerable and under the care of the people he'd been trying so hard to destroy, and now their leader was trying to joke with him. It couldn't really be, could it? He had to be dreaming or dead. Had he gone to hell? No, hell would be having to sit in a room with an angry Adiane for all of eternity… did that make this heaven? It just didn't make any sense at all.

"For what?" he replied, a bit intrigued and his low voice catching Kamina a bit off-guard. He was not used to Viral's monster-like traits so up-close and personal like this, but instead of scaring him, it fired him up. The man stood upright once more, pointing a thumb to himself and resting his other fist on his hip in a manly pose.

"To join the Dai-Gurren Brigade!"

Viral blinked, surprised. Why did he want _him_ to join _them_? Did one time saving him dismiss all of their previous skirmishes, along with the fact that he was not a human? Just how daft could this human be??

"I'm not joining you, Kamina," he started again with a sneer and narrow eyes. Though his voice was intimidating, he was thinking as he spoke. "I didn't save you because I was on your side. I did it because I wanted to be the one to defeat you, man-to-man." He turned away again, this time forcing his eyes to be pulled off of the man beside him. Looking down at himself in a hospital bed, he sighed. "But now I've lost my place in Teppelin. I'm a traitor."

All during Viral's speech, Kamina raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms once more. Who in their right mind would pass up such a chance? He was sure that Viral was not _evil_ per se, as he would've taken the offer and stabbed him in the back, and he knew he had the utmost honor, so why wouldn't he be with the good guys? Why didn't he want to do what was righteous and kill those beastmen bastards? Then, something clicked, and Kamina's eyes widened in enlightenment. Viral _was_ a beastman. He was one of those dirty bastards who caused earthquakes and killed the innocent. He was one of those that were always fighting for what's wrong… but why? He'd proven himself to be not only civil by talking to his enemy peacefully, realistic by blushing when he found out that Leeron had bandaged him up, and definitely principled from risking his life for the sake of nobility, but he was no longer characterized as one of those monsters in Kamina's head. Were other beastmen like him? Were the rest all scum of the Earth? What would cause somebody as with as much integrity as Viral to annihilate all humans without so much as a second thought?

"You call yourself a traitor?" Kamina started, his face serious for the first time. Viral looked back at him, a bit surprised to hear him somber for the first time instead of whining about his choice. "A traitor to what, that fucker who kills humans for fun, abandons his sweet little daughter, and doesn't even bother to rescue a captive?" Viral opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Before he could, Kamina again cut him off. "You're saying that you're gonna miss doing nothing with your life but killing the innocent and caging them up underground? You'd rather live as a disgusting slave than a pioneer for the rights of, not only humans, but all the virtuous beings in this universe? You don't see anything wrong with blind motives?! GOOD, you're a traitor! Remain a traitor and do something decent with your life! Save a life rather than take one, be someone's friend instead of an enemy, or would you rather just be another Gurren-dan statistic?!"

As Kamina rose his voice and started a just speech, he pointed a finger in Viral's face, nearly touching his nose. Viral first grew a bit startled, flinching a bit when he was pointed towards, but as he looked up, he could see what literally looked like a bright red flame in Kamina's eyes. What was his life's purpose, anyway? What was he trying to achieve with all of the fighting? No matter what, there was no life outside battle going back to Teppelin. Was it destiny that brought him to the Gurren-dan? Was this a trick? Swallowing hard, he clenched his jaw and bit his lower lip in indecision. Maybe there was something to this other than being able to have an honorable fight. What about an honorable life?

At the fact that Viral had to think about it, Kamina's face turned sour. He huffed one more time before opening the door to leave. One last time, he looked towards Viral, who was now looking at him with a pathetic sort of face, mouth in the shape of an 'o' and eyes low from having his heart touched a bit. In a way, he resembled Simon, somebody he'd guided as a 'big bro'. Maybe, just maybe, he would have another adopted sibling.

"Tell me when you're gonna join the Brigade, but until you do, I don't wanna see your beastman face!"

The door slammed. The new silence in the hospital room unnerved Viral, and taking a hold of his sheets, his hands formed fists. Kamina… he was a hell of a man.

Upon his leave, Kamina was in a most foul mood. He stormed through the halls, ignoring the locker-room talk that Kittan and Attenborough offered as they passed by, and searching for his best friend. If there was anybody who could rationalize a situation for him, it would be Simon. He turned a corner, heading for Simon's room, and bursting the door open in a most intrusive way.

"Simon!" he called, but was cut short when he realized that his little brother wasn't there. Blinking, he was ready to become more enraged when a familiar hand touched his shoulder and made him jump.

"Calm down, Kamina!" Yoko gasped, a bit taken back from his jump. She looked at him with a face that made it obvious just how silly he looked, and he blinked a moment before again frowning. He was so juvenile she couldn't help but giggle.

"What's wrong with you? You've been storming around like you've lost something."

Kamina crossed his arms, looking from side to side as he spoke. "Ahh, I can't find Simon anywhere." He grumbled, then turned his head to the side, looking at Yoko expectantly. "D'you know where he is?"

Yoko thought a moment. She placed a finger under her lip, her eyebrows looking as if they were worried as she thought. Apparently, he wasn't in his room, but where else would he be? Oh, of course!

"I think I may have an idea," Yoko started, catching Kamina's full attention. "He's probably with Nia down in the cells. Those two are almost inseparable, you—"

"The cells?" Kamina questioned, squinting as he looked at Yoko menacingly. In response, she lifted two hands in a 'don't come any closer' motion and leaned back.

"Yeah, she said herself that she was the Teppelin princess. Leeron and I talked it over, and she's right next to the other beastman we captured."

Kamina's eyes widened before he let out a heavy growl. _"You locked up an innocent little girl right after she was told that she was abandoned?!"_

"Kamina!" Yoko fussed back. "You're being irrational, we can't trust everybody we—" Again, she was cut off.

"You've gotta be kidding me! You guys are making a mockery of the Dai-Ganzan! I'm lettin' her out myself!"

**+Jail Cells+**

"Simon," Nia started, her tiny hands reaching through the walls of her cell and wrapping around to hug the bars. "Why am I being punished? Did I do something wrong?" the girl sounded like a ten year old asking where babies came from she was so cute, but Simon could not smile. He looked towards the ground for a brief moment, catching sight of Nia's bright red shoes before he scanned her upwards to see that baby-like face. Her colors were so bright and her voice was so light, it was so strange that she was really the daughter of a monster, and in turn, supposed to be a monster herself. The boy's arms rested by his sides and he tried to force a smile to reassure his new best friend.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Simon started in a slightly shaky voice from fake laughter. "You're only in here because you're from Teppelin."

Nia blinked, a bit confused. "So," she started, looking down with slight worry and taking her hands off of the bars to smooth out her skirt. "I'm an enemy?"

Simon blinked for a moment. Was she? He didn't think so; it couldn't be possible, he'd already concluded. Forcing another smile, he shook his head.

"No, but somebody else thinks so. Don't worry about it, you'll be out of there in no time."

The two were silent for a moment, each trying to force a smile for the other, and each with some level of distress. Simon sighed lightly, and Nia's eyes fell to her feet. Neither of them really believed that she was entirely innocent.

"I'M COMIN' TO GET YOU, NIAAA!"

"Hm?" Nia looked up in surprise, trying to see down the hallway.

"Bro?" Simon gasped, watching his older brother charging down the aisle, being followed by the enraged Yoko and a smiling Ron.

"We can't trust her!" Yoko roared.

"Oh, Yoko," Leeron chuckled. "You know resistance is futile!"

The woman sighed heavily. Was this really the guy that she 'loved'? He was more like a troublemaking child!

Finally, Kamina came to a skidded stop by the cell and crossed his arms. "RON, OPEN THAT DOOR!" He cursed, the green-haired man laughing in amusement.

"Sorry, boss, but we've already agreed to keep her there for one night before we give her a proper interrogation. Then, she's free!" Kamina was not amused.

"WE NEVER LOCK ANYBODY UP WHO HASN'T BEEN PROVEN GUILTY! THAT'S NOT OUR WAY!!"

"Give it a rest, will'ya?" Yoko shouted, her arms crossed and scarf partially covering her mouth. "You know as well as I do that she's a beastman, too!" Kamina frowned deeply. Was he really hearing this from Yoko, of all people? He turned around, bumping his forehead onto hers angrily.

"So is Viral, and if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be yellin' at me right now!"

Simon looked up towards Kamina, his eyes wide and mouth low. So, he noticed, too; not all beastmen were as evil as they'd initially thought. Still, knowing Kamina, he would only sympathize for those that first proved their worth rather than giving the benefit of the doubt. The boy looked towards Nia, who was watching Kamina with hope in her eyes.

"Just give it one day, sweetie." Leeron started, waving a hand towards Kamina, who then darted around and bumped heads with him, too.

"No way!! We'll do the interrogation now then!"

Yoko sighed. "But everyone's at their posts, this is the time of day where there's a damn beastman frenzy!" She was really getting tired of this madness. Didn't he have a reasoning bone in his body? "We can't let her out until tomorrow."

Kamina looked towards Nia, sympathy in his eyes, as well as shock. She wasn't wearing her Dai-Gurren jacket. Was that a sign that she took it off, or just coincidence?

"Oi!" He called towards Nia, who looked up at him with widened, cutesy eyes. "Where's your pink jacket?!"

Nia smiled at his antics, holding her hands to her chest and lowering her chin. "Miss Reite has it." She responded sweetly. The niceness in her voice made Kamina furious that she would be locked up.

"DAMN IT, REITE!" He roared, and stormed out of the jail cells.

"Kamina, she didn't do anything wrong!" Yoko roared, following close behind.

"Either did Nia, Yoko, watch what you tell him!" Leeron was the last to follow. Simon was left sighing at his brother's ridiculous nature.

"He has so much energy." He sighed, then looked up at the genuinely smiling Nia. Now that she was sure that somebody did care for her to fight for her, she was content with staying in the jail cell. A rumbling noise made her smile turn to a giggle, and Simon took a hold of his belly, making a worried face. He was absolutely starving.

"You should eat, Simon." Nia stated sweetly, and Simon frowned.

"I don't want to leave you here alone." His conscience would not allow him to leave her unattended behind bars. Still, she shook her head and would not take no as an answer. When Nia got that way, Simon couldn't bring himself to fight her.

"No, you need your strength to battle the ganmen! Go, eat; I'll be here when you get back." Nia smiled widely, turning around and walking to the back of the dark, gloomy cell to take a seat neatly on the barrack. She waved politely to her friend, and as he smiled back, he slowly started away. She would be there when he got back, wouldn't she? What a silly thought.

"How sweet." A familiar, yet uninvited voice chimed in from Simon's left. He looked up lightly to spy Adiane lying on her barrack as well, legs crossed and bobbing lightly in the air. She looked like the stereotypical convict, except she was in an elegant dress and bore a lot of skin. She's been listening the whole time, hadn't she? A frown crossed the boy's face as he recalled speaking to her before. She was one of those beastmen that he had little remorse for, though somehow, he could still see a light in her. "Of course, little Nia is the daughter of the man that created all of your problems and killed your parents, but when she bats her eyes at you, you can't help but melt."

Simon's eyes widened. That, in itself, was crossing the line. Taking a hold of her jail cell's bars, he looked at her angrily as he had before. "How dare you," he started, voice more tranquil than his face. "Nia didn't hurt anybody, even if she is his daughter. It doesn't matter how two people are related, it matters who those people are inside, and you're more than deserving of being locked up in here."

Adiane was unamused. She lifted her eyebrows, looking at her nails and pressing her lips together as she lied back. The boy's words meant nothing to her, really, and she couldn't help but smirk at his perception of people. He was so… optimistic.

"Pshaw, little boy," she grumbled. "You guys aren't so amazing, either."

Simon blinked. What did she mean by that? Her snake eye moved to look at him, interested in what she had to say. At once, she slid herself into a sitting position, looking at the boy with shrugged shoulders and a sluggish face. "I'm not going to sit here and say that I don't have personal beef with you guys, either."

"Personal beef?" Simon questioned. What could they have possibly done to her personally? Now, she stood up, walking towards the bars, and sat down cross-legged before him to match his height a bit better. Her outright nature was a bit startling for the sheepish boy.

"You killed Thymilph." She stated angrily. Simon thought for a moment, recalling the image of Thymilph in his head. That guy… meant something to somebody? As he stared at Adiane with eyes of enlightenment, he began to realize that, not only did the beastmen kill beloved humans, but the humans killed beloved beastmen. It was not their nature to kill, but their vengeance. Who started this war? Was it truly the beastmen, or was it human nature to destroy? No… It couldn't have been the humans. They wouldn't have fought if it wasn't for being forced underground. Simon's eyes sank a bit, looking down at Adiane with a pitiful gaze.

"…Oh." He said at first, her nose scrunching up as she gave him her worst glare. He could see her pain welling up in her eyes, her face flushing a bit, and all of her bottled emotions dying to pour out in a bloodbath. There was no wonder that she'd attacked them, but Thymilph attacked them. They had to protect themselves, right? No, he'd warped that story in his head. They attacked Thymilph to take control of the Dai-Ganzan. They were the bad guys. All of Simon's pity finally found itself feeling for Adaine, and he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry…?" Adaine started in a hushed tone. The woman couldn't believe whjat she was hearing. She loses her one friend, the one person who meant the world to her, the only person who believed in her, and he says 'sorry'?! Standing up, she reached through the bars and took a hold of imon's jacket, pulling him against them and causing him to wince in pain as his cheek struck the metal.

"_Sorry isn't going to bring him back!"_

"I know," Simon started, his teeth clenched and one eye closed as it was pulled hard against the pole, and was still in terrible pain. Though he was being battered, he did not resist her wrath. "We had no idea that we were taking the life of someone who mattered. We didn't think it through, we were just defending ourselves."

Adiane blinked, narrowing her eyes in anger towards Simon. "Defending yourselves?" she repeated, a bit taken back. It seemed that each of them were at fault to some degree. She loosened her grip on Simon a bit, as he no longer was pulled up against the bars, but did not let go entirely. Simon let out a sigh of relief as he was no longer being pushed against metal, and looking up at Adiane with true pity, he took a deep breath.

"His ganmen was sending out more ganmen every day, causing earthquakes and killing all of the humans on the surface." Simon explained, assuming that she was unaware. Though Adiane already knew this, it was as if she hadn't known, hearing him explain his place. "We thought that the only way to stop the wreckage would be to cause some in return, so that no more ganmen would come after us and we could live in peace. We didn't think that it would turn into a full-blown war."

Finally, Adaine let go entirely, her arms limp by her sides as she stared down at Simon, hurt evident in her face, though she was beginning to respect his place a bit more. She found herself almost befriending this human.

"A war with no purpose." Simon sighed, rubbing his cheek as it throbbed terribly and smoothing out his jacket. "Both of us are wrong to kill each other. Both of us are the same, essentially, except one of us is mixed with animals. We think alike, have the same wants, needs, and are filled with both love and hate. Why are we fighting?"

Adiane's hurt face softened greatly as she listened to him. He was anything but evil now, and she found herself accepting his apology silently. As a matter of fact, she felt as though she owed him one right back, but could not choke out those two painful words. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she rubbed an eye as if threatened to produce tears, and looked down at him like a normal person for the first time. She hadn't done that for anybody except for Thymilph before in her life that she could recall; life in Teppelin was day after day a hate-fest and contest to see who could kill more humans. It was as if life had just started, but she was too late to take part in it.

"You're right." She mumbled, voice still low and threatening, though she respected Simon greatly. Still, she tried forcing herself to apologize. As the fluster within her gathered some more, she finally found the courage to spit it out. "I'm sorry for your losses, as well."

Slowly, Simon found his lips curving upwards into a slight smile. She'd seen the light long ago, but would not admit it until now. Adiane was now a part of the Dai-Gurren Brigade as far as he was concerned, but he knew that she would be living her life in the jail cell for a long time. Still, it was better than an empty life, right? Judging by the soft smile on her face, he could see that she would never attack them again.

Their smiles turned to heavy shock, however, as the Dai-Ganzan rattled. Simon gasped, but Nia and Adiane remained silent, Nia because she didn't want to remind Adiane of her presence, as she remembered the woman's temper, and Adaine because she was very used to it. A loud boom coursed through the entire crew's ears, and as the humans questioned what in the hell that noise was, Adiane, Nia, and Viral only frowned. That was a bomb.

"Simon!" Kamina roared as he passed the entrance of the prison corridor. "Get to Lagann! We've got work to do!" he bellowed, then left. Simon, staring at his bro, found himself in a dilemma. He had just made a pact with Adiane, how could he abuse it now? Looking towards the scorpion woman for guidance, he noticed the personal glare on her face as she stared upwards. She, too, was aware of her treaty with the human, but did not care at this time.

"Go ahead," Adiane hissed, picturing Cytomander's devilish grin in her mind. He was undoubtedly the one to ruin a time like this. "This one really is your enemy."

Simon, glancing at Adiane, wondered whether or not to trust her words. He took a deep breath and thought a moment before Boota hopped onto his shoulder and gave him a serious look.

"Boota?" Simon started, catching Adaine's attention. She raised an eyebrow at how he was communicating with a mole pig.

"Boo!" Boota exclaimed, looking angry as Simon gave him a confident look.

"Alright, let's go!"

**+Cytomander+**

With a high-pitched, piercing cackle, Cytomander placed one hand on his cheek, relaxing in his self-proclaimed throne. The booming that arose from below was music to his ears, and he imagined some lucky human being blown to bits. There was nothing more exhilarating than attacking an enemy that had already defeated two other colleagues, and knowing that they were still alive in the vessel he attacked was even sweeter. For somebody who was allowed to be called a Teppelin general to be locked up so easily is ridiculous and brought his name down in the dirt.

"Adiane," Cytomander started, addressing the woman who wasn't there. "How dare you disgrace the name Cytomander by falling captive to this vermin? Now I have to clean up your mess."

"Enemy ganmen in sight!" one bird squawked from the control panel. "None of them are arial!"

"They won't even be able to reach Dai-Gunten, then." Cytomander exclaimed happily. In battle, his calm exterior often turned to hilarity as his ego was finally let loose. Though he was the one that listened to everything Lordgenome said like a dog, he was the one that thought the highest of himself, and in turn, was the blindest. "It's almost too easy! How in the hell did Adiane manage to lose if she tried? It's a good thing I don't have Viral, that poor mongrel, on board!"

With a raised finger, the man made a suave pose and dropped another bomb atop Dai-Gurren. This was, as he'd said, much too easy.

**+Guame+**

Gember was a hell of a useful ganmen at this state. As Cytomander attacked from above, believing that he was the only one plotting an attack and had been trusted with his Shuzack, Guame traveled safely underground in his roach-like mecha. Slowly, he made his way closer and closer to the bottom of Dai-Ganzan. He'd neglected to take his flagship, as had Adiane, but didn't think it too important. There was only one thing Guame had come for, and it was not to break any bones.

Finally, he stopped, unaccompanied by any other beastmen, as he was sure he could do this on his own. Kamina, Simon, Kittan, Yoko, and Leeron, the humans he was wary of, were all busy doing something or another. Simon and Kamina were trying to find a way to reach Dai-Gunten, Yoko was shooting at the bombs to make them explode before contact, as was Attenborough, Kittan was leading the rest of the troops in a full-scale bulk attack, and Leeron was letting them know from outside what was going on. Now, with a smirk on his face, he was able to pierce a hole through the bottom of Dai-Gurren, just where he wanted to. Nia and Adiane had heard a suspicious noise before them, and right before the smaller girl's cell, they glared at the monster in horror.

"Surprised to see me?" Guame teased, crawling onto the metal flooring and grinning widely at the cute girl before him, a jigsaw at hand. As the most perverse of the generals, he took a moment to look at her, inspecting the moe a kidnap would cause, and cackled. His entire body shook with every laugh.

"Guame!" Nia gasped, trying to get away, but stuck where she was. "What are you doing here?"

"Really." Adiane growled, taking a hold of the bars and staring down at her ex-colleague. "You and Cytomander planned a joint attack?"

Guame's eyes narrowed as he looked at Adiane expectantly. Again, he smirked, feeling superior to her officially. "No," he started, stepping over towards Adiane a bit. "The Spiral King didn't have much faith in him after you and Thymilph failed. He needed some insurance that he wouldn't have to be let down again." As he bared his yellow crocodile teeth to the women, one eye more open than the other, Adiane gritted her teeth. He was going to leave her there to die by Cytomander's hand! Their conspiracy was just as bad as becoming a traitor, she thought, though she had already befriended a human. She was so confused by this point, she gave up on rationalizing and tried breaking through the bars with her tail.

Guame snickered as lifted his jigsaw to Nia's bars and began tearing through them. He ignored Nia's screams, Adiane's curses, and the fact that Leeron would be getting a signal from his control room.

The deed was finished, a good opening that Guame could squeeze Nia through now embedded in the bars. He walked through the hole, easy with his tiny frame, and took a hold of Nia's skirt with one of his claws, giving her that same trashy grin.

"Come on, princess. We're going home." He stated, telling the truth but lying at the same time. "Your daddy's worried about you."

"Dad?" Nia questioned, thinking of the only life she'd known before meeting the humans. Adiane sneered, as she was fully aware of Guame's game. If only Nia wasn't so gullible. Still, Nia pulled away from the crocodile armadillo man.

"He left me behind, and he's killing the humans who have done nothing wrong. I won't go!"

Guame smiled wider, as her fighting only made the situation more fun. There, he lifted the jigsaw again and gave her an evil look.

"You're going in the ground either way, Nia. You might want to do it alive."

Nia's eyes widened, and she found herself speechless. There was nothing that she could do. Gulping, she began following the cackling Guame out the small hole in the bars before she saw a familiar face.

"Ron!" Nia gasped, as Ron looked at Guame with terrible shock. Surprised, Guame's smile faded, and he growled at the taller man.

"I've been found out!" He spat, stomping towards the other man and lunging his jigsaw towards him. Leeron had evaded the attack, tossing his keys to Nia. He'd intended for her to lock Guame into another cell after Leeron took away his jigsaw, but she had a better idea. She looked down at them, then at Ron again as he attempted to fight back. The two locked eyes for a moment before she unlocked Adiane's cell.

"Nia?" Adiane blinked, surprised, though she was still not completely at terms with being on the same side as that little girl. She frowned deeply at the serious cloudy-haired one below her.

"Don't open it yet, and Guame won't know." Nia whispered before turning around again and tucking the keys away into her blouse. The reason she'd done it, she barely knew. After hearing Adiane and Simon together, she was sure that Simon had fixed her, as well.

"You humans are quite nimble," Guame giggled, again nearly taking off Leeron's leg.

"I work at my shape." He responded with slight amusement before reaching into his jacket and extracting a gun. Guame nearly struck again before the device was pointed towards his forehead, and the two froze. After a moment, the little cretin again began laughing.

"Very well played." He offered before knocking the gun from Leeron's hand as it fired just over the monster's head with his jigsaw, taking a hold of Nia, and pulling her down the hole. As fast as he could, Leeron again picked up his gun and tried firing down the hole, but Guame had already shut the top and started off. He'd gotten away with Nia by pretending to be afraid of a gun. Leeron, disappointed in himself, looked towards Adiane with his teeth showing, receiving a glare in return, and leaving back up to the control room. There, Adiane had finally opened her cell. The room was almost quiet, except for the occasional booming, and looking down into the hole, she wondered what exactly to do after re-obtaining her Sayrune.

**+Gurren Lagann+**

Yoko and Attenborough had easily shot off a few of the bombs, but soon they began falling a bit too quickly. As Yoko no longer had Leeron's eyes to help her, she had missed a bomb close behind and was knocked from her place atop Ailak's ganmen, falling to the deck of Dai-Ganzan.

"Ah—!" Yoko gasped, wincing as she hit the ground rather hard. She'd readied herself to continue shooting from there before she realized that it wasn't the Dai-Ganzan she'd hit, but instead an already combined Gurren Lagann.

"Yoko, are you okay?" Simon's voice rang from the head of the monster. With a confident smile, Yoko flashed a quick thumbs-up.

"I'm fine, no biggie." She responded with pep in her voice, and shooting away a bomb that had headed straight for their ganmen. "Speaking of which, pay attention, Kamina!"

Kamina laughed from inside the body. "How can I when I'm distracted by you falling outta the sky? You need to pay attention too, missy!"

Yoko, instead of frowning, laughed a bit and nodded. "Sure thing." At once, she was placed back atop the flagship, warding off ballistics with her own, and Gurren Lagann propelled itself as far as it could into the sky, only to be bombarded with more bullets and bombs.

"Bro," Simon winced from within Lagann, trying his hardest not to bang his head against the sides. "This isn't working! We need a new tactic!"

"Like what?" Kamina responded, frowning as he, too, had a hard time keeping still as they were flung around. "We can't fly, can we?"

Simon sighed heavily, and the two began descending back to Dai-Ganzan by gravity's force. Standing ready, they stared up at Cytomander's fleet, unsure of what to do.

"Kamina!"

"Huh?" Simon and Kamina looked back to see a still-battered, but slightly patched Enkidou. Viral's voice was easily distinguishable.

"Try combining with one of their flying ganmen. You were able to steal my helmet, after all."

Kamina smiled widely. He knew that Viral would come around! With a happy-go-lucky look, he nodded towards Viral.

"Sure thing, comrade!"

"Viral," Simon started, a look of worry on his face as he looked at Viral's projection on his screen. "You still look really bad. Are you sure that you can fight?"

Viral smiled solemnly, then nodded. "I owe more than a few wounds to you for saving me, anyway."

Now, with Kamina, Simon grinned widely. It seemed that in the same day, two beastmen had converted towards the bright side. Gurren Lagann jumped once more before hopping atop Enkidou, much to Viral's surprise.

"Thanks for the lift!" Kamina laughed as they jumped again, nearly causing Viral to topple over. He frowned at the abuse of friendship Kamina had just used, but found himself nodding and smiling afterwards. Their zany antics were always saving the day, anyway.

Simon and Kamina's eyes widened as they each mirrored each others expressions, growing more and more excited as they reached for one of the flying enemy ganmen to steal the wings and attach to their back. A blue substance blocked their view, however, as they came crashing back down and into the sand.

"It's too bad," the low female voice muttered, and Simon looked towards his screen in disbelief. There, Adiane sneered with a passive look in her eyes. "That probably would've worked, too."

Sayrune had created a wave underneath Gurren Lagann to envelop them and sweep them back to shore. Yoko gasped—Sayrune? How did Adiane escape? Leeron, more at fault, bit his lip. This was not good.

"Adiane…?" Simon started in a hushed tone.

"Surprised?" She responded, looking towards Simon's projection with a fake evil grin. "You shouldn't be. Why would I live my life in a jail cell when I can avenge Thymilph instead?"

"How did you escape?" Viral questioned, his tone hushed, as he was still a bit afraid of her.

Adiane's eye sank low as she frowned once more. "Your little Princess Nia let me out."

"Nia…?" Simon again repeated in incredulity. Was it actually true that all beastmen were evil? Was Viral going to betray them next? Was this all just a hoax to sway Cytomander's trust, or would she not be able to get it anyway? What in the hell was going on?

Just who in the hell did she think he was?

_**A/N! **_Tee Hee! So, I ended up writing some of it yesterday and finishing it today… but now won't let me login, so it'll be even later. I LOVE Guame in this chapter. It's a long one, too! I almost split it up into two, but… nehh. Lawl. I have ideas for where this story is gonna go after this, but I'm not tellin' nobody nothin'! I love how terrible my English gets when I'm not actually writing…………… Yeah. Anwyay… Stay tuned? Tee Hee! Also, Triumvirate, I'll be starting your two stories in about a week. I'm out of town at the moment and can't actually save a file for too long on this compooper. Capich? :D


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